As a preamble to this NBA night, we had a match between Hornets and Bucks, looking like a clash between the bottom of the class in the East. And this match did not necessarily turn out to the advantage of the team we were thinking of.
This match was fought from start to finish and the two teams never really broke apart in score. The Bucks, although deprived of Damian Lillard, started off with a bang from the first quarter with Taurean Prince as the Daims’ offensive leader, something that everyone had obviously seen coming while Giannis was not necessarily in the shooting zone. and evolves at a level lower than that to which he has accustomed us (gently, that doesn’t mean that he is rotten either).
But the Hornets are hanging on despite a clumsy LaMelo Ball and a Brandon Miller who is not to be outdone either. At the French level, it’s the same since the most prominent is not necessarily the one we might think of if we only refer to the position during the Draft. Moussa Diabaté is doing a monster job in the racket while Tidjane Salaün is more discreet and clumsy in this match (with less playing time, it must be emphasized). The Bucks return to the locker room with a short lead, the score is 63 to 59 and Taurean Prince is already at 15 points.
Returning from the locker room, Doc Rivers’ men accelerate a little but remain within shooting range, in every sense of the word since thanks in particular to Grant Williams, Tre Mann and Josh Green, the Hornets come back to level and even pass in front, which promises a suspenseful end to the match in North Carolina.
Opposite, even when he gives the impression of being less sovereign, Giannis scores a triple-double in barely two and a half quarters (22 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists), but opposite, there is a certain Moussa Diabaté who controls the racket with 10 of his 14 rebounds taken in attack to allow the Hornets to have many second chances. It’s super tight and it goes blow for blow at the Spectrum Center. The Greek Freak places a huge tomar on the nose of Miles Bridges to respond to a long shot in the corner of the latter.
GIANNIS WITH THE POSTER.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 16, 2024
It’s then that LaMelo Ball takes matters in hand and decides to carry all his teammates on his back covered in tattoos, a foul shot allows his team to get back in front, but that’s without counting on the improbable Pat Connaughton who scores a 3-point shot and an acrobatic lay-up to restore the advantage to his Bucks. Charles Lee has 19 seconds left to come up with a plan, which boils down to letting LaVar’s son do his thing, and hoping for a twist of fate. And you know what? This is exactly what will happen: the leader arrives in the racket and benefits from a very, very, very questionable foul called against Giannis, two throws, LaMelo Ball does not tremble and makes both.
LaMelo Ball drew a game winning foul by tripping on his own feet 🤣 pic.twitter.com/0gJtGlWHTu
— Bad Sports Refs (@BadSportsRefs) November 16, 2024
The last ball in the hands of the Greek will not change anything, the Hornets leave victorious at the end of this breathtaking match, with a score of 115 to 114, and position themselves as a not too disgusting team in the East! Regarding the Bucks, Doc Rivers’ backside is starting to heat up, he who doesn’t seem to find the necessary solutions to get his team off the ground…
