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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
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SHOT CHART
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GAME FLOW
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – When all else failed, the Charlotte
Hornets went back to what they do best: playing solid defense and
crashing the boards.
|  | | Baron Davis, right, and P.J. Brown had plenty to celebrate Thursday. |
Jamal Mashburn scored a career playoff-high 36 points and the
Hornets held Ray Allen to just six points in the second half in a
102-92 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 3 of the best-of-seven
Eastern Conference semifinal series Thursday night.
"He was the difference," Allen said of Mashburn. "Every time
we came back, he kept knocking us right back down. He really
carried them and our attention to defensive detail was just not
there."
The Hornets, burned by Allen for a total of 54 points in two
losses, clamped down on him Thursday and held him to 20 points on
7-for-18 shooting.
"Ray had killed us, and he was the only one we really trapped
tonight," coach Paul Silas said. "That took him out of his rhythm
a little bit. We extended our defense and I think that's the reason
we came away with the victory."
The Hornets also capitalized on Allen's misses with an
aggressive rebounding effort, beating the Bucks 57-35 on the boards
while scoring 44 points in the paint.
That resembled what the Hornets did all season. Charlotte ranked
fourth in the league in points allowed and seventh in rebounding
but had seemingly abandoned what had worked all season in the first
two playoff games against the Bucks.
"We went back to the basics," said P.J. Brown, who tied his
career playoff high with 16 rebounds. "We limited their
second-chance shots, which you have to do to beat them, and we
played great defense. I don't think the Bucks want to play defense
with us as much as they say they do. We can be pretty good at
that."
Milwaukee still has a 2-1 lead in the series, but the victory
showed that the Hornets, who were listless in the first two games,
aren't going down without a fight. Game 4 is Sunday in Charlotte.
The Hornets were much more aggressive from the start and didn't
fall into a deep hole they way they did in the first two games.
"The energy was so much better and that was really the telling
factor," guard Baron Davis said. "We came out with a lot more
intensity and we were aggressive from the jump. We have to be if we
want to win this series."
Mashburn, whose previous high in a playoff game was 29 points,
finished 3-for-5 from 3-point range and hit consecutive turnaround
jumpers to give the Hornets a 96-87 lead with 2:20 to play.
"The shots just fell," Mashburn said, "I just felt good."
But the Bucks came back, getting a 3-pointer from Tim Thomas
that made it 96-90. Thomas had a chance to cut the lead when he
stole the ball from Mashburn and was fouled attempting to dunk.
But Thomas missed both free throws, Charlotte got the rebound
and made it 98-90 on a pair of free throws by Brown at the other
end.
Allen finally hit a jumper to cut it to 98-92, but the Hornets
answered with a slam dunk by Eddie Robinson that made it 100-92
with 42 seconds to play.
Glenn Robinson led Milwaukee with 23 points, Scott Williams had
13 points and 10 rebounds.
Davis, who averaged 20.3 points in the first round of the
playoffs but tailed off against Milwaukee and was held without a
field goal in Game 2, got off to another slow start. He missed his
first four shots and his first four free throws and had only two
points at the half.
But Davis snapped out of his scoring slump near the end of the
third quarter, scoring six of Charlotte's points in a 10-0 run. And
he got more aggressive, lunging for a steal off Robinson and
converting it into a fast-break two-handed dunk that ignited the
Hornets.
"I tried to score early to get the monkey off my back and when
I didn't, I got frustrated," Davis said. "But my teammates helped
me keep my focus and eventually I found a rhythm."
Charlotte slowly built a lead in the third quarter while
Milwaukee's big men got into foul trouble, allowing the Hornets to
dominate the boards.
A crucial sequence came with 5:33 to play in the third when
Campbell and Williams were called for double fouls for shoving each
other. It was Williams' fifth foul, sending him to the bench with
Milwaukee trailing 62-60.
The Hornets crashed the boards in his absence, limiting
Milwaukee's second-chance shots while building a nine-point lead.
"They manhandled us," Williams said. "There was a lot of
tough play going on and we couldn't get stops or crucial rebounds
to stay in the game."
The Hornets played without Derrick Coleman, who suffered a strained lower
back in the second half of Game 2 on Tuesday.
Coleman did not attend the Hornets' morning shootaround and a
trainer told Silas shortly before game time that the
6-foot-10 forward would not be able to play.
Game notes
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip
both sat courtside, with Waltrip wearing a personalized Hornets
jersey and a headband. ... Allen, who went to high school in South
Carolina, had his parents and friends in the stands. ... The
Hornets shot just 20-for-34 at the free throw line. ... Milwaukee
made nine 3-pointers.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Milwaukee Clubhouse
Charlotte Clubhouse
Hornets-Bucks Series Page
Hornets hope to shake off Coleman incident, 0-2 start
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Jamal Mashburn felt like he was a step ahead of the Bucks defense.
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