The Milwaukee Bucks are going to want to forget Friday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets.

Playing at Fiserv Forum before embarking on a four-game road trip, the Bucks were never in the game after the first few minutes and suffered a dispiriting 138-109 loss.

Since Dec. 15, the Bucks have suffered four losses by 20 or more points. Milwaukee has been without Khris Middleton for three weeks with a knee injury, and other players have been in and out of the lineup.

More:Bucks all-star Khris Middleton says knee is 'way better' but he is keeping the long term in mind

"Defensively, we have not been able to get stops in those games," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "We've dug ourselves a big hole early in those games.

"We haven't matched what it takes to be competitive in an NBA game on multiple occasions now and it's concerning."

Bucks allow Hornets to have record first quarter

Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen hit three-pointers to give the Bucks a 6-3 lead after just over a minute.

The Hornets hit back with an 11-0 run, and the floodgates just opened for Charlotte.

The numbers became staggering.

The Hornets tied an NBA record for the most points in a first quarter with 51. That also matched the Charlotte record for points in any quarter. The NBA record for points in any quarter is 58 by the Buffalo Braves in 1972.

BOX SCORE: Hornets 138, Bucks 109

It was the most points allowed by the Bucks in a quarter this season after giving up 47 to the Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 15.

Terry Rozier was blisteringly hot for Charlotte, scoring 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting with 3 three-pointers.

The Bucks found themselves down 45-17 with two minutes left in the quarter, and Budenholzer had used two timeouts in the first eight minutes trying to slow the avalanche. Budenholzer also was assessed a technical foul in the quarter.

"We didn't play great defense," Bucks center Brook Lopez said. "They got a lot of offensive rebounds. They shot very well. They played well in transition. It was a number of things. It wasn't just any one thing."

Bucks just can’t dig out of the hole

At one point in the second quarter, the Bucks had made 10 of 15 three-pointers. Normally, that is a recipe for success, but they found themselves down 23 points despite that gaudy shooting from long range.

Milwaukee was down, 84-60, at halftime despite going 13 for 25 from deep compared to 14 of 30 for Charlotte. But the Hornets only had two turnovers and scored 15 second-chance points.

The Hornets reached the 100-point mark with 5:06 left in the third quarter, and Budenholzer emptied his bench in the fourth.

Rozier finished with 39 points on 15-for-29 shooting, and LaMelo Ball added 24 points and 12 assists.

Charlotte had 18 more shots than Milwaukee, with the Hornets getting 24 second-chance points and 35 points off turnovers.

"For us, when a team is hot offensively we have to do the little things," Bucks guard Pat Connaughton said. "Guys in this league are talented, they're going to make shots.

"We made shots. We stuck with them. If you had told me we would have made 19 threes tonight (Bucks made 20) and we lost, I would have said you must have been watching the wrong game. If you had told me we would have made 19 threes tonight and we lost by 30, I would have told you you need to get a new job.

"It's an anomaly a little bit, but for us I think it's a great learning experience from it's not our offense, it's not our defense, it's how collectively we make sure we're doing the little things. We're playing with a chip on our shoulder, we're being physical."

Bobby Portis was the Bucks' leading scorer with 19 points.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had nine points in just 22 minutes, and he didn't record an assist. It was his first game scoring in single digits since December 29, 2020.

"He uncharacteristically missed a couple of good ones," Budenholzer said. "I'm sure we missed a lot of opportunities or didn't convert on a lot of passes that he made. And that's what happens when you get beat badly."

George Hill available for the Bucks

Bucks guard George Hill hadn’t played since Dec. 28 against the Chicago Bulls. The veteran was hit particularly hard by the nasty, non-COVID illness that spread through the locker room.

“A lot better,” Hill said after the Bucks’ shootaround in the morning. “Sickness sucks. I don’t get sick that often, but when I do I guess it puts me down. Good to be back in the gym with the guys.”

Hill noted he lost 10 pounds, which is a lot for the 6-foot-4, 190-pound guard.

“We’ve had a few jokes about how could George lose 10 pounds,” Budenholzer said.

Hill entered the game at the start of the fourth quarter. He hit both of his shots in 12 minutes.

Five numbers

69 Percent shooting (20 for 29) by the Hornets in the first quarter

4 Times in his career that Hornets guard Rozier has piled up 25 points and 5 three-pointers in a half

35 Points for the Hornets off 17 turnovers by the Bucks

0 Minutes for Bucks starters in the fourth quarter

30 It was Pat Connaughton’s 30th birthday on Friday

Play of the game is LaMelo Ball hitting a step-back against Jrue Holiday

Bucks fans at Fiserv Forum had to get used to the Hornets raining three-pointers. Both Rozier and LaMelo Ball had 5 three-pointers in the first half, but none was probably smoother than Ball’s balletic footwork to get an open three at the top of the key against Holiday.

Video of the game is Joe Ingles finding Bobby Portis

There weren’t many highlights for the Bucks. But since newcomer Joe Ingles is still finding his way with the Bucks, it’s a positive sign that he is developing chemistry with Milwaukee’s rotation players. Ingles brings some playmaking juice and he showed his craftiness by working the pick-and-roll with Bobby Portis for an easy basket by Portis.

Who do the Bucks play next?

Milwaukee kicks off a four-game road trip against the New York Knicks on Monday. The Bucks earned a 109-103 victory at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 30 thanks to a clutch three-pointer from Grayson Allen. Milwaukee will then visit the Atlanta Hawks (Wednesday) and then a two-game set with the Miami Heat (Thursday and next Saturday).

More:The top single-game scoring performances in Bucks history

Bucks' last game:Milwaukee blows big lead but Grayson Allen hits game-winner in OT to beat Raptors

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks surrender 51 points in first quarter in blowout loss to Hornets