CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Josh Green’s front-row view of LaMelo Ball’s late-game heroics is coming into focus, and the Charlotte Hornets’ swingman remains enamored with how the team’s star point guard doesn’t get flustered when the light shines brightest.

“I think he’s No. 1 in the league in fourth-quarter points right now, which is very impressive,” Green said. “I think his composure is really cool being able to see how composed he is not rushing the shot. He’s been a great leader this year and I think we all trust him in those situations.”

Ball proved he’s more than capable of handling things when crunch time rolls around — again. He sank a pair of critical free throws after drawing a foul with 7.3 seconds remaining, lifting the Hornets to a spirited 115-114 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at Spectrum Center on Saturday.

Overall, Ball racked up 15 of his game-best 26 points in the final 12 minutes, sparking an offense that welcomed back Miles Bridges after a three-game absence due to a bruised bone in his right knee.

“The fourth quarter is like Melo’s quarter,” Bridges said. “So, he turns up his intensity, he turns up his energy whenever the fourth quarter comes around. And he was great for us, getting us going, getting us open shots and getting shots for himself. I think Melo, he got the fourth quarter going.”

But the ending is what will probably be remembered most.

With the Hornets (5-7) trailing by a point, Ball drove into the lane and went down in the paint, drawing a whistle on Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Milwaukee was incensed, but didn’t have any more challenges.

Sounds like things would have been different if the Bucks (4-9) still had one.

“During live play we called illegal leg-to-leg to contact,” crew chief Curtis Blair said. “During postgame review when we looked at the play there was no illegal contact on the play.”

Which means, if the play would’ve been challenged — Milwaukee didn’t have one available — that call would have been overturned.

“Correct,” Blair said.

When those words were relayed to the two-time MVP, he refused to take the bait.

“I’ve been in the league, this is my 12th year,” Antetokounmpo said, “Rule No. 1, don’t give away your money. And rule No. 2, don’t forget rule No. 1, you know? So, I’m not going to comment on that.”

Bridges returns

A few eyebrows probably were raised fewer than 24 hours before tipoff, when the injury report leading into the game got released and Miles Bridges’ designation didn’t have the word “out” listed next to his name.

Just that in itself seemed like an accomplishment since the original timetable had Bridges getting re-evaluated two weeks after an MRI on Nov. 7 revealed the bruise. But Bridges, who posted 19 points and seven rebounds, did a lot behind the scenes over the past week and both sides proclaimed him fit again in time to take on a Milwaukee crop of big men featuring a two-headed monster of Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez.

“I’ve been impressed with Miles throughout his whole rehab plan,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said. “Since his injury, he’s attacked it with a really good mindset of trying to do as much treatment as he possibly can. He’s made really good progress.”

Enough to rejoin his teammates to provide some much-needed frontline assistance.

“It felt great,” Bridges said. “The training staff, they’ve been really on me the whole week. I was really supposed to sit out two weeks, but my leg has been feeling better. So, there’s no reason for me to sit out anymore.

“But yeah, I’m happy to give my guys energy and we needed this win, so I wanted to keep this going.”

Rivers: Ball a handful

Draining at least five 3-pointers in four straight games, which tied for the second-longest streak in franchise history, had Ball on a pretty good hot streak beyond the arc. But he finally cooled off slightly against Milwaukee, knocking down only 1 of 7 attempts.

Still, his knack for being an outside threat paired with his impressive offensive skill set.

“He’s a challenge even if he was taking three threes a game,” Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers said. “He’s just a hell of a basketball player that has been healthy lately. He’s been very unlucky the last couple years with all the injuries, and now he’s healthy and he’s going back to where he was two years ago and taking it even further.

“He can create his own shot, and as many threes as he’s making and as much as he’s scoring, I still think his best asset is his passing ability. I mean, he can make everybody on the floor a better player, and so it’s rare when you have a scorer that is an elite passer, and he has both of those combinations.”

Getting Green going

It’s an understatement to say Green had been struggling offensively.

Over his last five games entering the Hornets’ matchup with the Bucks, Green totaled just 12 points. But he nearly topped that in the first quarter alone against Milwaukee.

An ultra-aggressive Green registered 10 of the Hornets’ initial 17 points, easily marking the best stretch he’s had in a while. It was the sixth career double-digit quarter for Green, whose best output in one quarter is a 12-point performance in Utah on Feb. 6, 2023 as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.

“I thought Josh Green played an amazing game on both ends of the court,” Lee said. “To see him be decisive like that, and a lot of his quick decision reads, was great. To see him knock down a couple of jumpers — and five assists — I thought that he really helped us. He’s just a playmaker. He’s a heck of a basketball player and he kind of helped spark that offensive run.”

The fifth-year pro is a defensive cog, but knows he has to contribute more offensively to take some of the pressure off backcourt mate Ball and the Hornets’ wing players. Netting a season-best 15 points to go with five rebounds and four assists was his best all-around performance so far in a Hornets’ uniform.

“It felt great,” Green said. “It’s obvious that offense (for me) hasn’t been great lately, but for me it’s just sticking with it, trying to do the little things for the team. I know that coach has trust in me and my teammates have trust in me the same way that I trust them. I think I just came out tonight ready to go.

“I love playing in competitive games and I want to win every game and I came out ready to go.”

Minted

Saturday’s matinee represented the Hornets’ debut of the final installment of the franchise’s minted City Edition uniforms, which was accompanied by a specialized court.

This year’s all mint jersey and shorts is similar in scheme to the initial rollout during the 2020-21 season but the chest is emblazoned with “CHARLOTTE” rather than the initial “Buzz City.”

While the color scheme may be familiar to fans who watch the Hornets regularly on TV, Saturday marked the first time many fans saw the jersey in person, as the previous edition in 2020-21 was worn while fans were not in the building during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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