Vin Baker

Vin Baker made all 13 of his shots from the field en route to 31 points as the Milwaukee Bucks used red-hot shooting to defeat Charlotte, 120-100, knocking the Hornets into the sixth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Baker, who added 11 rebounds and five assists, came within two field goals of tying Wilt Chamberlain's NBA record of 15 field goals without a miss. Chamberlain made all 15 of his shots for Philadelphia against Los Angeles, January 20th, 1967. Armon Gilliam made 10-of-11 shots from the field and scored 23 points for Milwaukee, which made 52-of-86 shots from the floor (60.5 percent). The improbable win for the struggling Bucks (33-49) enabled them to avoid a 50-loss season for the second straight campaign. But the loss was potentially devastating to the Hornets, who dropped into the sixth slot and will now face the New York Knicks in the first round. Glen Rice had 21 and former Knick Anthony Mason added nine points, 11 rebounds and five assists for Charlotte, which played without Tyrone Bogues, Matt Geiger and Dell Curry -- all of whom were injured. "We were playing with three of out top eight guys out," Hornets coach Dave Cowens said. "I think we thought we were trying, but we weren't. We walked on eggshells this particular game. Baker? Gilliam? Did they miss a shot all night?" Five Hornets scored in double figures, including Rafael Addison, who had 18 and Tony Delk, who had 13. Addison and Delk both came off the bench for Charlotte, which was outrebounded 44-31. "We try to win every game that we step on the court," Mason said. "You want to go into the playoffs playing your best hoops -- not your worst." The game was tied 9-9 early in the first period when the Bucks went on a 16-6 run, led by nine points from Ray Allen. Charlotte was never able to overcome the 10-point deficit. The Hornets drew within 67-59 with 10:55 left in the third quarter but the Milwaukee used a 13-1 spurt to break open the contest. Baker had four points to spark the run, which left the Bucks ahead 80-60.