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Brook Lopez gave the Bucks a third-quarter 18-point charge, most of which came from shots in the paint and free throws against the Hornets on Saturday night. (Photo: TANNEN MAURY, European News Agency)

Brook Lopez's focus this season is on how the sniper veteran threat gave the Milwaukee Bucks offense a perfect weapon alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Considering he entered the 17th league on Saturday with three attempts as well as 37.0% of them, it makes sense to start the conversation around Lopez.

With Lopez's 6.5 attempts at 3 points per game and the propensity to pitch almost anywhere beyond the center line, it's easy to forget that he was a great man traditional star level earlier in his career with a host of post changes in his arsenal.

Lopez reminded everyone what he could do inside by going back to the third quarter, dominating at 18 points as he scored a run that allowed Milwaukee to win a final victory over the Charlotte Hornets (131-114). Forum Fiserv.

THE SCORE OF THE BOX: Bucks 131, Hornets 114

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"I do not think this has been going on for so long, it's only been a few years," said Lopez laughing when asked to clarify his remarks. "We believe a lot in each other, and I've said it many times all year long, but you can play in so many different ways, it's really exciting and fascinating to see. "

He finished with 25 points on 7 out of 11 shots and 8 rebounds to help the Bucks win their second consecutive game and improve their score to 7-2 since the break from the stars. The win also pushed the Bucks to 50-16, marking their first season of 50 wins since 2000-2001 with 16 games to play.

After a first period in which the Bucks struggled to gain traction at both ends and lose 14 points, it was Lopez who put the team on the back in the third quarter. He opened the period by omitting a pointer to three pointers – part of a 1 for 5 nights long range – but he then focused his attention on the inside.

Lopez attacked the ledge and defenders of the smaller Hornets whenever he had occasion, coming closer for layups, hooks and a hammer dunk. He also made seven attempts in third on the free throw line, which puts them all within the framework of an evening of 10 out of 10 at the scratch.

"He kept us in the game," said Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. "Brook is incredible of course, he can very well shoot the ball from the three-point line, but if he gets post-ups, he could easily score 25 points per game, for example, he's unstoppable. He realizes it now, so we need him to be even more present.

Largely thanks to the 18 points scored by Lopez on 5 out of 6 shots, the Bucks went from 4 points to half at 7 points of entry in the fourth. It was at this point that Antetokounmpo slammed the door, scoring the first 10 points of Milwaukee in the fourth, including the three consecutive points. Antetokounmpo finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds while matching Lopez by scoring 10 out of 10 on the free throw line.

Malcolm Brogdon and Nikola Mirotic each contributed 18 points. Eric Bledsoe added 11 points, as did rookie Donte DiVincenzo, who stood out for more than his goals.

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DiVincenzo played his second match for over two months, missing because of a bursitis right heel. The shaking of DiVincenzo allowed the Bucks to survive despite some difficulties in the second quarter. He made several offensive rebounds, forced turnovers, created a jump ball and dipped for a ball coming out of bounds, prompting applause despite the fact that she almost reached it.

"It's another guy who gave us a huge spark," said Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer. "Of course, it's difficult to get some shots, but his way of flying and showing up for offensive rebounds and defensive boards that he fills us with great energy."

While Antetokounmpo led the goal and DiVincenzo stood out from his energy, the night probably belonged to Lopez because of the differences between his contributions. The Bucks are not really a post-up team – it's not a normal part of the Budenholzer system – but with teams like the Hornets trying to play little game against the Bucks, nights like these could be more common in the future.

"He's a very talented, talented and unique player," said Budenholzer about Lopez. "I guess we're publishing it with Giannis and Khris (Middleton), but it's not something we do a lot of, we've discussed, maybe we should do more with Brook and find ways, especially (When), other teams could be related to certain areas for even better reasons, and I hope this is part of our improvement. "

Update of the wounds

Bucks goaltenders George Hill and Sterling Brown each missed their seventh consecutive game on Saturday. On February 23, Hill contracted his left abductor muscle at the groin level against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Brown has been struggling with right wrist pain since late January.

With the Bucks gone on a swing of three road games from 19h. Sunday against the Spurs of San Antonio, Budenholzer hopes to return at least one.

"With George, I think there's a good chance we'll see him on this road trip, and we'll see how the next two days go," Budenholzer said.

Budenholzer added that he was less sure of Brown's status. Since the pain affects Brown's ability to shoot, he has only recently started to get up again during training.

"We have been trying to shut down this facility for a while and I think it is currently shooting on a limited basis," said Budenholzer.