National Basketball Association

Takeaways from the Charlotte Hornets Victory Over the Bucks in Season Opener

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Charlotte Hornets came away with a big win over the Milwaukee Bucks in their regular season opener in a game that had plenty of positives.

The Charlotte Hornets opened the regular season on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks. If you are a fan of the Hornets, you are probably smiling like the Cheshier cat right now. The Hornets led by as many as 24 points in the third quarter before fighting off the late game come back attempt by Milwaukee They defeated the young up and coming Bucks 107-96.

After some preseason struggles, a quality win over an Eastern Conference opponent was a big way for Charlotte to open the regular season. The team looked like they didn’t miss a beat and followed the same trend of success that they had last year.

Here are a few takeaways from this game.

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The Hornets looked really Good!

To put it simply the Hornets were just better than the Bucks. Aside from the eleven point victory, the Hornets eclipsed the Bucks in every major category except for one. They led the bucks with a 44% field goal percentage, 7-23 from the three-point-line, 83% free throws, 51 rebounds, 27 assists, and 10 blocks. The only category the Bucks led in were fast break points.

One more time for the peanut gallery, the Hornets looked good tonight. I don’t mean to repeat myself, but I can not emphasize enough how good these men played. The ball movement was wonderful. For most of the game, the guys were all looking to make the extra pass. Aside from Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Ramon Sessions, every player that got into the game had at least one assist. The newly acquired Hornets fit right in, and played well. At least five players scored in double figures.

Hibbert Should Start

Whether Roy Hibbert will completely round back into his all-star form still remains to be seen. However, he has definitely made his claim to be the Hornets starter at center. Aside from foul trouble, Cody Zeller played well in his own right. He finished the game with 15 points, three rebounds, and two blocks.

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This was not to shabby for the regular season opener. However, Big Roy matched Cody’s 15 points with 15 of his own. Then he threw in nine rebounds and five blocks for good measure. It is pretty obvious now that Cody just can not defend like Roy can. Hibbert has earned his spot with the starters.

He’s Back!

Throughout the preseason we were all holding our breath. Is Kidd-Gilchrist fully healthy? Will he continue the development he showed last season? Well, to answer those questions I tell you this. Go ahead and exhale. MKG had one of his monster games that reminds us why we drafted him with the second over all pick of the 2012 draft.

Mr. Gilchrist tortured the Bucks with 23 points 14 rebounds, a block, and a steal. This is only the first game, and we have 81 more to go, but what a way to get things started! How well Kidd-Gilchrist plays the rest of the season remains to be seen. But for now, we can all breath a sigh of relief with the knowledge that for now at least he is back.

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