Mashburn carries Hornets in season debut

Mashburn, who was activated from the injured list on Tuesday, had missed the first 44 games of the season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery in training camp to remove loose particles in his right knee. The Kentucky product ended 10-of-19 from the field in 34 minutes.

"It felt great to be back and especially to be back with the guys in the locker room," said Mashburn. "After the first half I started to feel a little bit more comfortable out there. In the first half the game really seemed to be moving fast."

Baron Davis, who returned after missing three games with an ankle injury, scored 23 points and handed out 10 assists for the Hornets, who have won three straight games. Jamaal Magloire added 16 points and 10 rebounds in the win.

Michael Redd tied a career-high with 40 points on 16-of-33 shooting for the Bucks, who had their three-game winning streak halted.

"He was really in a zone tonight," said Milwaukee head coach Terry Porter. "We did a good job when Timmy (Thomas) went down and we were kind of limited, we didn’t have that post and we lost another weapon, but Michael is aggressive and his teammates did a great job of trying to get him the ball and moving the ball and it was a good effort from him."

New Orleans led 81-78 after three periods, but the Bucks came back later in the final quarter. Damon Jones’ long three-pointer with 5:23 left in the game capped a quick 7-2 burst and gave Milwaukee a 92-88 lead.

However, the Hornets rallied and used a 7-0 run, all by Mashburn, to grab a 95-92 advantage with 3:24 left in the game. Milwaukee countered by scoring four of the next five points to tie it at 96-96.

Mashburn, though, drained a jumper with 1:26 left to give New Orleans a two- point edge, but Brian Skinner’s jump hook with 40.8 seconds left tied the game at 98-98.

After a timeout, Mashburn was fouled and he made 1-of-2 from the line. The Bucks answered, as Redd’s jumper with 22.3 seconds left gave them a 100-99 advantage.

Mashburn again responded, netting a fadeaway jumper with 11.8 seconds left to give New Orleans a 101-100 advantage.

Redd then missed a jumper with four seconds left, but the ball was last touched by New Orleans before going out of bounds. Toni Kukoc’s runner hit off the rim, and the ball hit the floor where the clock proceeded to run out.

Milwaukee led 24-21 after the first quarter and increased its lead to 36-32 early in the second on a free throw by Redd. The lead grew to six later in the frame on Redd’s three-pointer and Milwaukee led 58-53 at halftime.

Redd had 24 first-half points on 10-of-17 shooting, while Davis scored 13 in the opening 24 minutes.

In the third period, the Hornets trailed 60-53, but they used a 12-0 surge, capped by Mashburn’s basket, to grab a 65-60 lead with just over eight minutes left in the quarter. New Orleans led 81-78 after 36 minutes.