Small ball found a home Monday night at Spectrum Center.
Down by as many as 20 points, new Charlotte Hornets coach James Borrego went with an unorthodox lineup that had 6-foot-7 Michael Kidd-Gilchrist as the power forward and 6-8 Nic Batum as the center. It got the Hornets all the way back to a fourth-quarter tie before the Milwaukee Bucks held on 113-112 in both teams’ season opener.
Hornets star Kemba Walker (41 points) gave the Hornets their first lead with 36 seconds left, making two free throws off a foul by Ersan Ilyasova. Bucks star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo responded with a drive, drawing two free throws off a foul by Hornets center Willy Hernangomez with 24 seconds remaining.