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October 13, 2026 at 2:23 AM UTC

Postgame Report

Hornets Shake Off Brooklyn Hangover, Roll Past Bucks 105-90

Charlotte answered a 34-point opening loss with a comfortable preseason win over a retooled Milwaukee team at Spectrum Center.

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Charlotte Hornets Preseason Preview & Game Thread: Go time — Yahoo Sports
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Charlotte Hornets Preseason Preview & Game Thread: Go time — Yahoo Sports

The Hornets spent the week hearing about the 124-90 loss to Brooklyn, and on Sunday at Spectrum Center they gave a better answer. Charlotte beat Milwaukee 105-90 in preseason play, a 15-point margin that was never especially tense. It was not a polished night, but after the opener it did not need to be.

Brandon Miller led Charlotte with 18 points in 23 minutes, a useful line for a player whose availability had been a pregame question. Naz Reid added 16 in 20 minutes. Coby White did not play, so the Hornets again had to run things without him. Liam McNeeley took on the heaviest workload, 27 minutes, and finished with 11 points and five assists but no rebounds. Dennis Schroder, the one true point guard on hand, had four assists in 17 minutes and scored only three. The ball handling was shared around enough that it held up.

Rookie Hannes Steinbach played 12 minutes and had 8 points and 5 rebounds, a small step up from his debut. His place in the rotation is still unsettled, because the frontcourt is crowded. Moussa Diabate grabbed 11 rebounds, and Ryan Kalkbrenner and PJ Hall each got minutes behind him. Sion James is a reminder not to read too much into October. He barely got on the floor in last year's preseason opener and then played all 82 games. This time he had 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in 21 minutes off the bench.

Milwaukee, with a visibly different roster, got 18 points and 7 rebounds from Tyler Herro and 12 apiece from Kyle Kuzma and Ryan Rollins. Little else worked. Myles Turner scored 5 in 24 minutes, and Caris LeVert and Gary Trent Jr. both went scoreless. The Bucks are still working out who they are, and Charlotte took advantage of that.

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