The Milwaukee Bucks held off LaMelo Ball’s career-high 50 points to beat the Charlotte Hornets 125-119, extending their winning streak to four games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo contributed 32 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists for Milwaukee, while Damian Lillard scored 31 points.
Ball had a slow start, making only 1-of-8 shots in the first quarter, but came alive in the second half. He broke his previous career-high of 38 points, which he set earlier in the month against Philadelphia.
Ball also recorded 10 assists and scored three points in the first quarter, seven in the second, and 40 points in the second half. Brandon Miller added 32 points and 11 rebounds for Charlotte in the loss.
Miller and Ball scored all 34 of Charlotte’s points in the fourth quarter as the Hornets nearly made up a 20-point deficit.
The Bucks made 18 of 37 shots from beyond the arc.
Milwaukee started strong with the first eight points of the game, and Antetokounmpo was perfect with all five of his shots in the first quarter. However, the Hornets managed to tie the game at 28 by the end of the quarter.
Lillard scored 11 points in the second quarter, and his assist on Gary Trent Jr.’s 3-pointer gave the Bucks a 59-51 lead going into halftime.
Ball exploded in the third quarter, scoring 22 of Charlotte’s 34 points, hitting 8-of-12 shots and 4-of-7 from three-point range.
Despite Ball’s performance, the Bucks held their ground. Lillard completed a four-point play to extend Milwaukee’s lead to 73-66 with 7:26 left in the third, and AJ Green made a 3-pointer late in the quarter to push the lead to 13 points.
Milwaukee began the fourth quarter with a 14-5 run to lead 110-90 with 8:13 remaining, but Ball and Miller’s efforts kept the game close.
