|
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME FLOW
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Eddie Jones hit seven 3-pointers, including one
that tied the game with 23.9 seconds left in regulation, as the
Charlotte Hornets took away Milwaukee's grip on a playoff spot with
a 109-106 overtime victory over the Bucks on Friday night.
| | Charlotte's Derrick Coleman, left, races Tim Thomas for a loose ball. |
Charlotte had just one basket in the final 4:48 of regulation as
Milwaukee erased an 11-point deficit with an energetic rally. Glenn
Robinson, who had a season-high 38 points, hit two difficult
jumpers in the final 1:09 and gave Milwaukee a 93-90 lead with 36
seconds left.
But Jones, who led the Hornets with 29 points, hit a long
3-pointer to tie the score at 93. Robinson missed a jumper with two
seconds left, and Scott Williams' tip at the buzzer hung on the rim
before falling off.
In overtime, Charlotte grabbed four offensive rebounds and David
Wesley hit two quick jumpers. Jones then hit another 3-pointer, and
Elden Campbell added two dunks as the Hornets went up 106-99.
Tim Thomas hit two straight 3-pointers in the final 30 seconds
to make it close, but Wesley made two free throws with 6.6 seconds
left and Ray Allen missed a 3-pointer as time expired.
The loss was discouraging for Milwaukee (39-40), which began the
night with the same record as the Orlando Magic and a tiebreaker
over the Magic by virtue of their three wins over Orlando this
season.
But the Bucks' loss and Orlando's 96-88 victory over the New
Jersey Nets put the Magic (40-39) one game in front of Milwaukee
for the eighth seed. Both teams have three games left, including a
head-to-head meeting Monday night at Orlando.
Charlotte (46-33), which won for the 11th time in 13 games,
erased a 16-point first-half deficit and remained a game behind
Philadelphia for the fourth seed in the East. All five Hornets
starters scored in double figures as their bench played just eight
minutes and scored two points after halftime.
The Bucks were down 86-75 with 5:47 left, but an arguing
technical foul on Campbell kick-started a frantic 18-4 Milwaukee
rally. The Bucks went up by three points when Robinson, who had 24
points in the second half and overtime, hit another jumper over
Anthony Mason with 36 seconds left.
Milwaukee, which had its three-game winning streak snapped, got
26 points from Allen and 16 points and 11 assists from Sam Cassell.
The Bucks have not won four straight games this season.
Wesley had 24 points for Charlotte. Derrick Coleman added 10
points and 12 rebounds, and Campbell finished with 15 points.
Milwaukee's poise and proficiency disappeared in the third
quarter as Charlotte began the second half with a 23-7 run. Coleman
had eight points during the run, and the Hornets took a 77-67 lead
entering the fourth.
Game notes
Jones was 7-of-12 on 3-pointers. ... Instead of deflecting
an attempted entry pass by Cassell in the fourth quarter, Jones
leaped up and cleanly caught it out of the air. Jones then drove
downcourt and passed to Baron Davis, whose layup gave Charlotte an
84-72 lead with 8:01 left. ... Mason and Bucks assistant coach
Terry Stotts exchanged angry words shortly before the Hornets put
the game away in the overtime. Stotts, the Bucks' defensive guru,
designed a physical game plan against Mason, who had 18 points.
| |
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Charlotte Clubhouse
Milwaukee Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 106 Chicago 91
Philadelphia 104 Atlanta 92
Orlando 96 New Jersey 88
Indiana 105 Miami 101
Charlotte 109 Milwaukee 106
Toronto 86 New York 71
Dallas 117 Seattle 103
Denver 105 Golden State 97
Phoenix 112 LA Clippers 88
Minnesota 104 Vancouver 94
LA Lakers 121 Sacramento 114
|