Bucks vs. Hornets: Referees miss once again

Milwaukee gets screwed by another last-second call

In another hard-fought contest with star players down, the Milwaukee Bucks went down to the wire with the Charlotte Hornets, losing 114-115, following another incorrect call in the final seconds. Giannis Antetokounmpo was spectacular for the Bucks, notching a triple-double of 22 points, twelve assists, and fifteen rebounds. For the Hornets, it was LaMelo Ball who carried them across the line with 26 points, six assists, and nine rebounds. Read our full summary of the game here.

What Did We Learn?

We learned that the NBA has a conspiracy against the Milwaukee Bucks… no, just kidding. The biggest thing we learned is that Milwaukee probably wins this game if they rebound the damn ball. They gave up sixteen offensive rebounds in this game. Heck, Moussa Diabaté grabbed ten offensive rebounds on his own! Whatever is causing this—hoping the ball comes to them, not boxing out—there needs to be some sort of intervention. Because rebounding has been an issue going back several seasons now.

Three Things

NBA referees continue to screw over the Bucks.

After admitting to messing up the final call that gave Ron Holland two free throws against Detroit, which he miraculously missed both of, the NBA referees have already admitted they made the incorrect call in today’s game when they called a foul on Antetokounmpo defending Ball. Here is the Charlotte Observer’s Rod Boone chatting to the refs after the game:

Well, it’s not like playoff seeding comes down to single games or anything! This is beyond frustrating. Here is Doc discussing the foul call at the end of the game:

“This is back-to-back games now where on the final play, there’s been an incorrect call made. LaMelo Ball fell; he just fell down… [If] we come up with the ball, the game’s over… We were lucky [against] Detroit. [Holland] missed two free throws. Tonight, LaMelo Ball made the free throws. And it was clearly not a foul! You can’t guess at the end of the game. Both teams have played too hard.”

Taurean Prince has been awesome.

Prince had another stealer night with 23 points and five assists on 9/15 shooting and 4/5 from three. Additionally, he led the team in plus/minus. Coming into the year, many Brew Hoop writers had him pegged as the third-most important free-agent signing, me included. But Prince has been a godsend.

Delon Wright’s fit continues to be clunky.

Wright had another tough shooting night, going 3/10 from the field and 1/7 from three—including a few wide-open misses at the end of the game. To his credit, Delon has been setting up his teammates with six assists tonight, continuing a trend of late. But to play with Giannis, the guards really need to be able to shoot. Ryan Rollins being out actually hurts because he can play this role.

Bonus Bucks Bits

• Bobby Portis returned from an elbow contusion after missing the Detroit game and was pretty good! Portis went 9/15 from the floor, providing some tertiary scoring Milwaukee really needed with Dame and Khris out.
• Pat Connaughton made some massive plays down the stretch, including a go-ahead bucket before the referees… did their thing.
• Andre Jackson Jr. nailed two crucial threes down the stretch when the Hornets were clearly leaving him open.
• AJ Green has cooled off a little. He did come into the game with a shoulder impingement, so maybe that had something to do with it. But Green played just twelve minutes.

Up Next

Milwaukee will begin a four-game homestand on Monday night against the Hoston Rockets. You can watch the game at 7:00 PM Central on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin.

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