Hornets 98, Bucks 95
MILWAUKEE -- Kemba Walker scored 25 points and Cody Zeller added 23 as the Charlotte Hornets opened the second half of the season with a 98-95 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday at the Bradley Center.
Walker hit four 3-pointers and was 8 for 16 from the field to go along with six rebounds and four assists.
Charlotte also got 15 points from forward Marvin Williams and 14 off the bench from guard Jeremy Lamb.
Bucks shooting guard Khris Middleton scored 10 of his 20 points in the final quarter and had a chance to tie the game at 94 when he was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 45 seconds left.
Middleton missed the second of his three shots and Marvin Williams following with a 10-foot floater 20 seconds later to put Charlotte up three.
Middleton also contributed defensively on an inbounds play with 17.5 seconds left.
He and forward Giannis Antetokounmpo were guarding Nicolas Batum following a Charlotte timeout. Batum couldn't get the pass in and Milwaukee got the ball back, but Middleton couldn't connect from 15 feet and the Hornets closed it out from the line.
Forward Jabari Parker led Milwaukee with 23 points and 11 rebounds, tying his career-high in both categories and notching the first 20-10 game of his career.
Antetokounmpo added 18, to go along with 11 rebounds and four assists.
Four second quarter 3-pointers, including a pair from shooting guard O.J. Mayo, helped Milwaukee overcome a slow start and go into halftime tied at 52.
Middleton's 3-pointer with 7:30 left in the third gave Milwaukee a five-point lead, its biggest of the night to that point. He struck again at the 4:44 mark to push the Bucks' lead to 71-61.
Middleton hit three in the third quarter but Charlotte opened the fourth with a 12-2 run to go up 82-80 when Lamb found Walker for a 26-footer with 6:43 to play.
NOTES: Bucks coach Jason Kidd said C Greg Monroe and PG Michael Carter-Williams will continue to come off the bench. ... F John Henson showed improvement during the All-Star break, but he remains sidelined with a sore back. ... Charlotte was playing without F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery earlier in the week. ... F Marvin Williams went through shootaround Friday and was a game-time decision. He has been battling a strained neck. ... Of the Bucks' last 28 games this season, 18 will come at the Bradley Center, where they've won six of their last seven and are 15-8 this season entering Friday. ... The Hornets began the second half with a 27-26 record and seventh in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee (22-32) sat in 13th, 5 1/2 games behind the Chicago Bulls for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.