The Milwaukee Bucks absolutely crushed the Charlotte Hornets 110-91 tonight in Vegas, finally getting their first victory of Summer League. It was a total rollercoaster, starting hot, giving it all away, then slamming the door shut again. Man, what a wild ride.
Bucks Explode Early, Austin Provides the Spark
Bogi Markovic got the party started for Milwaukee, delivering a driving dunk and then drilling a catch-and-shoot three for the Bucks' first five points of the night. Charlotte's "big three" of Christian Anderson, Hannes Steinbach, and Tidjane Saluan answered with some buckets, but Nate Ament showed up early, knocking down a couple of sweet jumpers, including an absolute dime of an and-one triple from the right corner. The young talent was just buzzing on both sides! The Bucks were on fire, mounting an extended 19-4 run after the 6:02 mark of the opening quarter. They finished the period up 28-18. Zack Austin was an absolute menace during that push, bringing crazy energy and blocking three shots in his first stint off the bench alone. Talk about making an immediate impact!Hornets Fight Back Hard, But Milwaukee Responds
Charlotte came right back in the second quarter. Latrell Wrightsell Jr. and Kylan Boswell hit twin trey balls, cutting Milwaukee's cushion down to just four points by the 8:05 mark. You just knew the Hornets weren't going down easy. But then, the Bucks did what all good teams do: they punched back with a run of their own. Ament and Markovic each swished another three, then Pete Nance laid the ball up in transition to restore a 12-point advantage, forcing a Charlotte timeout within two minutes of Boswell's shot. Milwaukee escaped the first half up 53-37, but you could feel the tension. Charlotte came out scorching in the second stanza. Michael Ajayi threw down a putback dunk, reducing the lead to 61-52. Thirty seconds later, a rolling layup from Hannes Steinbach capped off a 10-0 burst for the Hornets! What looked like a no-sweat win for Milwaukee suddenly flipped into a 63-62 barn burner with 3:43 left in the third. Just like before, the Bucks had an answer, building a crucial 16-0 run in the waning minutes of the period that put them up 79-64 heading into the fourth.Holding On and What's Next for the Young Guns
The Bucks managed to hold on in the final frame, snuffing out any more funny business from the Hornets despite the best efforts of Steinbach and Saluan. Hannes Steinbach was an absolute monster for Charlotte, dominating with 27 points and 15 rebounds, just a double-double machine! For Milwaukee, Nate Ament led the charge with 23 points, showing he's got that scoring touch. Kam Jones, Milwaukee's newest two-way contract player, was in the mix, and it was noted that Brayden Burries didn't play. This win, with all its crazy swings, showed some real resilience from the Bucks' young squad. It's huge for their confidence. We'll be watching to see if these guys can keep building on this momentum and what they bring to the court next. You gotta love the fight in these young Bucks!This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.