rocking dunks in the third quarter that helped build the 20

MILWAUKEE -- The Charlotte Hornets turned up the pressure on the Milwaukee Bucks from the outset of their season opener.Nicholas Batum disrupted the Bucks on the perimeter. Center Roy Hibbert had his teammates backs in the paint.The defense helped Charlotte build a big early lead, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 23 points and 14 rebounds in his return from a shoulder injury in the 107-96 victory over Milwaukee on Wednesday night.Early, they didnt get things easy, Hornets coach Steve Clifford said.They led by as many as 24 points in the third quarter before fending off a late charge from Milwaukee.The Bucks, who looked lackluster for much of the game, drew energy from Greg Monroes hustle in the paint and Jason Terrys floater that cut the lead to 93-85 with 5:08 left.But the Hornets held on down the stretch, getting a straightaway 3 from Marvin Williams for a 12-point lead with 3:21 left.They definitely outplayed us. We just cant let that happen (any) more, Bucks forward Jabari Parker said.Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 31 points, nine rebounds and five assists. The 6-foot-11 forward, now serving as Milwaukees primary ball-handler, showed he was worth the four-year $100 million contract extension he signed before training camp.Im not happy, we all wanted to start this season with a win ... so thats all I can think about, Antetokounmpo said.The Hornets pressed early, and tried to force the Bucks to find other ways to start the offense. The Hornets also had an effective wing defender in the 6-foot-8 Batum.Nic set the tone with his ball pressure, trying to disrupt the offense, which not many guys his size could do, Clifford said.Williams finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds for Charlotte, a playoff team a year ago following a 48-win season.TIP INSHornets: C Cody Zeller, who did not play the entire preseason because of a right knee injury, was 5 of 6 from the field for 15 points in 14 minutes. ... C-F Frank Kaminsky missed the game with a strained right foot. Kaminsky was a star in college at Wisconsin, where he helped lead the Badgers to two Final Four appearances.Bucks: Malcolm Brogdon played well in his NBA debut, serving as the point guard when Antetokounmpo and Matthew Dellavedova were off the court. Brogdon, a second-round draft pick, finished with eight points and five assists in 21 minutes.MOVIN ITThe Bucks couldnt keep up with Charlottes crisp ball movement in the first half, when the Hornets had 17 assists on 22 field goals to build a 15-point lead.Kemba Walker finished with eight assists, six coming in the first half.We just stuck to our game plan. We made all the right plays. We didnt turn the ball over too much, Walker said. We got a lot of stops, pushed the tempo, we made shots.MOVING ONCharlotte lost Jeremy Lin, Courtney Lee and Al Jefferson to free agency in the offseason, bringing in Marco Belinelli, Ramon Sessions and Hibbert.The new Hornets are fitting in quite nicely. Kidd-Gilchrist is back after playing just seven games last season.The 7-foot-2 Hibbert had a couple of rim-rocking dunks in the third quarter that helped build the 20-point lead.With Hibbert anchoring the middle defensively, Clifford likes the length and versatility provided by Batum and the 6-7 Kidd-Gilchrist.LONG SHOTSThe Bucks were haunted by familiar problems that carried over from last years 33-win squad.Milwaukee was just 1 of 9 from behind the 3-point arc in the first half. Interior defense was also an issue and the Hornets took advantage of the scrambling Bucks by moving the ball quickly around the court.Milwaukee finished 3 of 16 from behind the arc. Charlotte was 7 of 23 from 3-point range, but their baskets came in clutch situations.The timely 3s hurt. For us they shot 30 percent from the 3-point line. Well take that, but when youre behind, your margin of error, its very slim, coach Jason Kidd said.UP NEXTHornets: At Miami on Friday.Bucks: Host Nets on Saturday.---Follow Genaro Armas at: https://twitter.com/GArmasAP Cheap Custom Magic Jersey . Inter president Erick Thohir says in a club statement on Wednesday that Vidic is "one of the worlds best defenders and his qualities, international pedigree, and charisma will be an asset. Custom Magic Jerseys . - Chris Tierney snapped a tie with a power-play goal late in the third period as the London Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Erie Otters 5-3 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday. http://www.custommagicjersey.com/ .com) - The Calgary Flames aim to bounce back from their first regulation home loss of the campaign on Friday night when they host a Detroit Red Wings club that they swept in three meetings a season ago. Authentic Custom Magic Jersey . He just needed to be his best twisting, turning acrobatic self. "I didnt need to be anybody else, I just needed to be myself and be aggressive," said Burks, who scored a career-high 34 points to spark the Utah Jazz to a 118-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. Custom Penny Hardaway Jersey .com) - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer were easy first-round winners Tuesday at the Australian Open. 5India hockey teams current World Ranking according to FIH - their highest over a decade since the last time they were ranked 5th, in 2004. They are the highest ranked Asian team currently with South Korea and Pakistan being the next two teams at No. 9 and No. 10 respectively.8Gold medals won by Indias hockey team at the Olympics - the most by any country. India are followed by Germany with four golds (including West Germanys at the Munich games in 1972). Pakistan and Great Britain have won thrice each.6Number of consecutive hockey gold medals won by India at the Olympics from 1928 to 1956. Since then in nearly 60 years India have won two golds, a silver and two bronzes. The last time they returned with a hockey medal from the Olympics was from Moscow, in 1980, when they won the gold. Their best finish at the event since then has been the fifth place which they managed in 1984. The last two Olympics campaigns didnt go well for India: they failed to qualify for the event in 2008 and finished last in 2012.75Matches won by Indias hockey team at the Olympics - the most by any team in the competition. Netherlands and Pakistan are next in this list with 72 and 70 wins. Only five Indias 75 wins, however, have come in their last three appearances at the Olympics. In the London Olympics in 2012, India returned from the event without securing a single win.423Goals scored by India at the Olympics - by far the most by any team in the competition. No other team has scored 300 goals, with Pakistan placed second with 294 goals.38Goals scored by India without conceding one at the Melbourne Olympics in 1956. India are the only team to have won the Gold medal without conceding a goaal in the competition.dddddddddddd From their first game of the 1956 edition to their first match in 1960 against Denmark they scored 48 goals without conceding one. India won the gold at Amsterdam Olympics in 1928 too without conceding a goal when they slotted in 29.43Goals scored by India in the 1980 Moscow Olympics - the most any team has scored in an event. India are the only winning team to score more than 30 goals in the competition and they have done it thrice. Besides the 1980 event, they scored 38 and 35 goals in 1936 and 1932 respectively.24-1Indias win margin against the USA in the 1932 Olympics - the biggest for any team in the events history. India won the 1936 final by a margin of 8-1, which is also the joint biggest in a Gold-medal match at the Olympics. England had beaten Ireland by a similar margin in the 1908 finals - the first time ever the game was played at the Olympics.178-7Indias score-line across six events from the 1928 to the 1956 Olympics. They were unbeaten in 25 matches across six editions. By the time they lost to Pakistan in the gold-medal match in 1960, they had won 30 consecutive matches across seven events and had scored 197 goals and had conceded only eight goals.11Medals by won the hockey team out of the 26 won by India at the Olympics. Apart from eight golds, the hockey team has won a silver and two bronze at the event. After 1980, however, hockey has contributed no medals to India tally while other events have won 12.Shiva Jayaraman is a senior sub-editor (stats) at ESPNcricinfo.com. @shiva_cricinfo ' ' '