The Charlotte Hornets defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 105-90 in a preseason game at Spectrum Center on Sunday, October 11, building a 20-point halftime lead and maintaining control for most of the second half.
Brandon Miller led Charlotte with 18 points, while Naz Reid added 16 points and Sion James scored 11 off the bench. The Hornets improved to 1-1 in the preseason, while Milwaukee fell to 1-2.
Charlotte took a 29-26 lead after the first quarter and extended the advantage in the second. Miller knocked down four three-pointers, including two during a stretch that helped the Hornets establish separation. His 25-foot three-pointer with 9:09 remaining in the second quarter put Charlotte ahead 37-31, and another three from Miller increased the lead to 44-35.
The Hornets continued to find open looks from beyond the arc. Liam McNeeley connected twice from three-point range in the closing minutes of the first half, while Reid hit a three-pointer with 2.8 seconds remaining. Charlotte entered halftime ahead 60-45 after outscoring Milwaukee 31-19 in the second quarter.
Reid and Miller helped Charlotte extend the margin further after the break. Reid scored early in the third quarter, and Miller followed with a three-pointer to make it 66-50. Reid added another basket before McNeeley finished a running dunk, pushing the advantage to 70-50.
Milwaukee responded through Tyler Herro, who scored repeatedly in the third quarter, including a pair of three-pointers. However, Charlotte continued to answer, and its lead reached 87-66 by the end of the period.
The Hornets remained comfortably ahead in the fourth quarter. Hannes Steinbach scored twice early in the period, and Charlotte’s reserves helped preserve the margin. Jarkel Joiner and Michael Ajayi each made a three-pointer during a late stretch that extended the lead to 102-81.
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Miller finished with 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-9 from three-point range, and added four assists. Reid shot 7-of-14 from the field and made two of his six three-point attempts. Moussa Diabate contributed eight points and 11 rebounds, while McNeeley recorded 11 points and five assists.
James added 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting, including three three-pointers, and also recorded five rebounds and four assists. Royce O’Neale scored nine points in 17 minutes, finishing with a team-best plus-19 rating.
Herro paced Milwaukee with 18 points, shooting 6-of-13 from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Kyle Kuzma added 12 points, while Ryan Rollins also scored 12. Jaime Jaquez Jr. contributed nine points, seven rebounds and four assists.
The Bucks struggled with their shooting efficiency, making 32 of 89 field-goal attempts (36%) and 15 of 46 three-pointers (33%). Charlotte shot 42% from the field and also made 17 of 51 three-point attempts. The Hornets held a 54-48 rebounding advantage and recorded 29 assists, compared with Milwaukee’s 23.
