Eric Bledsoe had 24 points (12 in the paint) and 10 assists, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Charlotte Hornets 109-104.
The Bucks trailed 104-100 with 2:28 left and scored the last 9 points, going ahead for good on Bledsoe’s driving layup with 1:20 left.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s driving layup with 1:01 left made it 108-104, and Bledsoe’s free throw with 15.0 seconds left put it away at 109-104.
During clutch time, the Bucks outscored the Hornets 14-9. Antetokounmpo (No. 7 in clutch wins added, 2017-18) scored 7 of the Bucks’ 14 on 3 for 3 shooting and 1 for 1 at the line. Late in the fourth quarter, Bledsoe had 2 steals in 48 seconds, one of them leading to Khris Middleton’s dunk that tied the game at 104, and the Bucks scored 2 points off them.
Middleton scored 28 points, and Antetokounmpo added 26 points (16 in the paint). The Bucks had 3 20-point scorers.
For the Hornets, Kemba Walker scored 32 points on 13 for 21 shooting.
The Bucks went 19 for 23 at the line to the Hornets’ 14 for 17. The Hornets forced 8 turnovers, about 6 fewer than usual for this many possessions. The Bucks scored the last 9 points of the game. The Hornets were outscored 22-11 in 8 minutes with Williams, Batum, Walker, Lamb and Kaminsky on the floor together.