Bucks 89, Hornets 79: Milwaukee clinches at least No. 6 seed
Jason Terry said the Milwaukee Bucks needed to finish with a strong performance for the home fans in the 2016-'17 regular-season finale at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
The 39-year-old guard did his part with a hot shooting night, helping the Bucks rally to beat the Charlotte Hornets, 89-79, on Monday night. Milwaukee (42-39) clinched a winning record and also assured at least a sixth-place finish in the tight Eastern Conference playoff race.
A first-round playoff matchup with third-seeded Toronto is coming into focus, although the Bucks could still finish fifth if Atlanta loses its last two games and the Bucks beat Boston in the regular-season finale Wednesday night at TD Garden.
Giannis Antetokounmpo posted his third triple-double of the season with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and center Greg Monroe scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter.
BOX SCORE: Bucks 89, Hornets 79
NBA: Standings | Playoff picture | Scoreboard
RELATED: Bucks at full strength with return of Brogdon, Henson
"For me, this is my 12th year consecutively going to the playoffs," Terry said as a throng of reporters huddled around his locker after the game. "For Giannis, as he said, he just wants to be a winner. Well, this is the first step.
"The goal is a little low, 42, but it does certify that you have a winning season. The bar is like 50. That's when you know you have truly arrived as a winning franchise. But this is a step. I'm proud of our guys. We're not just going to stop because we're in the playoffs. We have a goal we set before the season and we can do so by taking care of business in our first (playoff) matchup."
The Bucks hit 16 of 28 three-pointers as Terry made his first five triples before finishing 5 of 7. Khris Middleton and Tony Snell each were 4 of 5 from three-point distance.
"We've been putting a lot of work in on our outside game, understanding in the playoffs they're going to take away the paint," Terry said. "We have to keep them honest. If we're going to keep them honest, the shooters have to make shots. We don't have to force anything but we have to make shots when the opportunities present themselves."
The Bucks had struggled in recent home games, losing to Chicago and Dallas and needing overtime to beat a slumping Detroit team. They trailed by as many as 11 points against Charlotte and were down, 66-61, going into the final quarter.
But the Bucks responded with a dominant final quarter. Antetokounmpo had assists on the Bucks' first three baskets and Monroe started dominating inside, and Milwaukee outscored the Hornets, 28-13, in the decisive quarter.
"That shooting group, they shoot together, and they looked like they were at practice today," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said of the trio of Terry, Snell and Middleton.
"No one panicked and we got everyone in the game tonight. We came out of this with a win and healthy."
Terry was Kidd's teammate in Dallas and they helped the Mavericks win the 2011 NBA title. So it was no surprise when the Bucks went after Terry as a veteran free agent to help mentor the team's emerging stars this season.
"It just shows if you know how to play, you can play in this league," Kidd said. "And if you take care of yourself and do all the right things, you can live in this league for a long time and have an impact, no matter what age. He's helping the younger guys understand what it means to be successful and to be a pro in this league."
Terry finished with 15 points and was a plus-19 in the plus-minus rating, and Middleton had 15 points, six rebounds and six assists.
Malcolm Brogdon returned to the starting lineup after missing five games with a back injury, and the rookie of the year candidate had five points, four rebounds and three assists in 25 minutes.
Brogdon also praised Terry for his positive influence on the young players.
"He's a vet, he's probably the best vet in the league in terms of (being) a locker room guy, a leader, having a voice," Brogdon said. "He's been a great, calming voice for us. And then in the games, he's been able to hit shots for us, so that's huge."
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist led Charlotte (36-45) with 13 points and Jeremy Lamb and Treveon Graham each had 12.
Antetokounmpo's triple-double was the eighth of his career — he had five last season — and tied him with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most in franchise history. The Greek Freak's most spectacular play was actually a block, as he chased down Hornets guard Brian Roberts and wiped away his breakaway layup try midway through the first quarter.
"He has a triple-double, which is kind of cool," Kidd said. "He's been hovering around nine assists of late. Jet (Terry) tried and then Khris steps up (with a three) and gets him that 10th assist. It just shows the maturity of our group and the awareness of what is happening around them."
THREE TAKEAWAYS
1. Bucks center Greg Monroe came to life in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 points and leading the Bucks' rally. John Henson returned after missing 10 games with a sprained left thumb and had two points, one rebound and one block in 9 minutes.
2. The Bucks shot just 45.5% overall but were 57.1% from three-point distance (16 of 28). Tony Snell and Khris Middleton each hit 4 of 5 attempts.
3. Jason Terry hit his first 5 three-pointers before finally missing one late in the fourth quarter. But it denied Antetokounmpo a 10th assist. Khris Middleton came through a few moments later, drilling a three-pointer on a pass from Antetokounmpo. It gave the Greek Freak his third triple-double of the season and eighth of his career.
UP NEXT
Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (42-39) vs. Boston Celtics (52-29).
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Where: TD Garden.
About the Celtics: Boston has a chance to claim the top seeding in the Eastern Conference if it can edge the Cleveland Cavaliers, who hold the tiebreaker between the teams. Isaiah Thomas has averaged 34.5 points in two games against the Bucks this season, including a 32-point outing in the Celtics’ 103-100 home loss on March 29. Thomas reached the 2,000-point mark in that game, becoming only the sixth Celtics player to record that total in a season. The others are Larry Bird (four times), John Havlicek (once), Kevin McHale (once), Sam Jones (once) and Paul Pierce (four times).
