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  Friday, Apr. 14 8:00pm ET
Bucks lose grip on eighth seed in East
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Eddie Jones hit seven 3-pointers, including one that tied the game with 23.9 seconds left in regulation, as the Charlotte Hornets took away Milwaukee's grip on a playoff spot with a 109-106 overtime victory over the Bucks on Friday night.

Derrick Coleman, Tim Thomas and Scott Williams
Charlotte's Derrick Coleman, left, races Tim Thomas for a loose ball.

Charlotte had just one basket in the final 4:48 of regulation as Milwaukee erased an 11-point deficit with an energetic rally. Glenn Robinson, who had a season-high 38 points, hit two difficult jumpers in the final 1:09 and gave Milwaukee a 93-90 lead with 36 seconds left.

But Jones, who led the Hornets with 29 points, hit a long 3-pointer to tie the score at 93. Robinson missed a jumper with two seconds left, and Scott Williams' tip at the buzzer hung on the rim before falling off.

In overtime, Charlotte grabbed four offensive rebounds and David Wesley hit two quick jumpers. Jones then hit another 3-pointer, and Elden Campbell added two dunks as the Hornets went up 106-99.

Tim Thomas hit two straight 3-pointers in the final 30 seconds to make it close, but Wesley made two free throws with 6.6 seconds left and Ray Allen missed a 3-pointer as time expired.

The loss was discouraging for Milwaukee (39-40), which began the night with the same record as the Orlando Magic and a tiebreaker over the Magic by virtue of their three wins over Orlando this season.

But the Bucks' loss and Orlando's 96-88 victory over the New Jersey Nets put the Magic (40-39) one game in front of Milwaukee for the eighth seed. Both teams have three games left, including a head-to-head meeting Monday night at Orlando.

Charlotte (46-33), which won for the 11th time in 13 games, erased a 16-point first-half deficit and remained a game behind Philadelphia for the fourth seed in the East. All five Hornets starters scored in double figures as their bench played just eight minutes and scored two points after halftime.

The Bucks were down 86-75 with 5:47 left, but an arguing technical foul on Campbell kick-started a frantic 18-4 Milwaukee rally. The Bucks went up by three points when Robinson, who had 24 points in the second half and overtime, hit another jumper over Anthony Mason with 36 seconds left.

Milwaukee, which had its three-game winning streak snapped, got 26 points from Allen and 16 points and 11 assists from Sam Cassell. The Bucks have not won four straight games this season.

Wesley had 24 points for Charlotte. Derrick Coleman added 10 points and 12 rebounds, and Campbell finished with 15 points.

Milwaukee's poise and proficiency disappeared in the third quarter as Charlotte began the second half with a 23-7 run. Coleman had eight points during the run, and the Hornets took a 77-67 lead entering the fourth.

Game notes
Jones was 7-of-12 on 3-pointers. ... Instead of deflecting an attempted entry pass by Cassell in the fourth quarter, Jones leaped up and cleanly caught it out of the air. Jones then drove downcourt and passed to Baron Davis, whose layup gave Charlotte an 84-72 lead with 8:01 left. ... Mason and Bucks assistant coach Terry Stotts exchanged angry words shortly before the Hornets put the game away in the overtime. Stotts, the Bucks' defensive guru, designed a physical game plan against Mason, who had 18 points.
 


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RECAPS
Boston 106
Chicago 91

Philadelphia 104
Atlanta 92

Orlando 96
New Jersey 88

Indiana 105
Miami 101

Charlotte 109
Milwaukee 106

Toronto 86
New York 71

Dallas 117
Seattle 103

Denver 105
Golden State 97

Phoenix 112
LA Clippers 88

Minnesota 104
Vancouver 94

LA Lakers 121
Sacramento 114