Hornets 108, Bucks 106 (OT)
Kemba Walker scored a game-high 26 points, including the winning jumper with 5.1 seconds left, as host Charlotte rallied from 24 down in the second half to edge Milwaukee.
Walker, who was 9-of-26 from the field, also made a 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation to send the game to the extra period as the Hornets beat the Bucks for the sixth straight time. Marvin Williams recorded 19 points and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 17 while Al Jefferson added 14 points and 10 rebounds for Charlotte.
Brandon Knight led the way with 22 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds for Milwaukee in coach Jason Kidd’s debut. Khris Middleton, who missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end it, and O.J. Mayo each contributed 17 points while Giannis Antetokounmpo and Larry Sanders had 10 apiece for the Bucks.
Knight drained consecutive 3-pointers to give the Bucks their biggest lead at 74-50 in the third quarter before the Hornets crept within 15 going into the fourth. Charlotte picked away at the deficit, pulling within eight on Walker’s 3-pointer with 4:07 left and 97-94 on a Williams 3-pointer with just over a minute left.
The Bucks could not put the game away as Walker made a layup before sinking a long 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds left to send the game to overtime. Middleton made his second straight jumper to put Milwaukee ahead 106-104 with 1:45 left in OT, but Gary Neal tied it with a runner to set up Walker’s heroics.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Several media outlets have reported Walker agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $48 million with the Hornets on Tuesday. … Milwaukee F Jabari Parker, the second pick in the 2014 draft, had eight points and four rebounds in his NBA debut. … The Charlotte Observer reported Wednesday that Hornets F Jeff Taylor pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence and malicious destruction of property in East Lansing, Mich. on Wednesday, according to court records and multiple media reports.