In LaMelo Ball's first game in Milwaukee, the Bucks' seven-game win streak was under threat.
The Hornets held their largest lead of 18 early in the second quarter, coming off a 41-25 first quarter. However, the defending champions fought back and tied things up late in the third quarter.
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What ensued was a back-and-forth battle with all of the game's nine ties and 13 lead changes coming in the final 14:30 minutes of the game.
That led to a crazy final nine seconds including a Miles Bridges' game-winning attempt from beyond half court.
GIANNIS ICES GAME AFTER LAMELO’S WILD GAME-TYING THREE 🔥
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 2, 2021
WOW. pic.twitter.com/yDYe3t0mKf
In the end, the Bucks survived courtesy of Giannis Antetokounmpo's clutch lay-in. Antetokounmpo's near 40-point triple-double (12 rebounds, nine assists), helped the team overcome LaMelo Ball's 36-point, nine-assist showcase.
The 127-125 victory is Milwaukee's eighth straight, all coming since the team returned to full health barring starting center Brook Lopez.
Their consecutive wins have included some close wins like this one and the victory over the Los Angeles Lakers but other than those, the Bucks have absolutely dominated their opponents by winning these games by an average league-leading margin of 13.3 points.
This streak has helped them bounce back to the upper half of the East standings after starting the season 6-8 through the first 14 games.
Bucks upcoming schedule
Their current run is still quite some distance from the franchise's best win streaks - 20 in 1970-71 season and 18 in the 2019-20 season.
Having said that, looking ahead to the team's soft schedule in December, this healthy squad could go undefeated over the course of December. Here's a look at their upcoming games in the month:
| Date | Opponent |
| Dec. 2 | at Raptors |
| Dec. 4 | vs. Heat |
| Dec. 6 | vs. Cavaliers |
| Dec. 8 | at Heat |
| Dec. 10 | at Rockets |
| Dec. 11 | at Knicks |
| Dec. 13 | at Celtics |
| Dec. 15 | vs. Pacers |
| Dec. 17 | at New Orleans |
| Dec. 18 | vs. Cavaliers |
| Dec. 22 | vs. Rockets |
| Dec. 23 | at Mavericks |
| Dec. 25 | vs. Celtics |
| Dec. 28 | at Magic |
| Dec. 30 | at Magic |
Of the upcoming 15 games, the Bucks have five games against rebuilding franchises in the Rockets, Magic and Pelicans. Then, they face the Heat twice - a team would be without their starting big in Bam Adebayo.
Then, considering the team's full health, there are very winnable games against teams like the Pacers, Celtics (twice), Raptors, Cavaliers (twice), Mavericks and the Knicks.
As per NBA.com's John Schumann, Milwaukee has the second-easiest December schedule in the East and third in the league overall by opponent's winning percentage.
