The Bucks struggled against the Nets in a back-to-back second half, but Damian Lillard – Giannis Antetokounmpo got the job done in the fourth period and won (115-108).
A day after the thriller in Boston, the Bucks return to their home base and welcome the Nets to Fiserv Forum early Friday morning (22/3). They beat them 115-108, and they weren't impressive, but they had Giannis Antetokounmpo back in their lineup and Khris Middleton was rested for a smooth performance again, unable to stop Damian Lillard.
Up 45-25 was Milwaukee (28-7 at home and 17-18 away), which saw its best player have a sluggish night and needed time to recover the ground lost earlier in the day. He picked it up when needed and turned into a road runner with some amazing final minutes.
An impressive season from Lillard (who looked great both on the ball and defensively), Green, and Lopez helped the Bucks create a nice margin. With Greek Freak and Dam Time.
The Nets fell to 26-44 (16-19 at home and 10-25 away), leaving them with nothing to chase and patiently waiting for the season to “unwind.” Dennis Schroder played in the intensity of the game with the Greek Freak and Jae Crowder, Michael Bridges and Cam Thomas were constant threats for the home defense, but in the end Kevin Ollie could not find a way to stop the two super players of the house. The team and went out with a fair defeat.
44-46 Rockets points, 13-20 surprise points, 25-19 turnover points, 23-11 opponent foul points, 17-15 second-chance points (offensive rebounds) for both teams.
The Bucks' next opponent is the Oklahoma City Thunder in Milwaukee on Monday morning (01:00).
Giannis Antetokounmpo's account
He came into the match impressively, with a reverse attack on Nick Claxton, before going to the bench early and returning to finish the period. In the roughly nine minutes he usually plays in the first twelve minutes, he was limited to 6:06, making two baskets and totaling 9 points on 4/5 2-point and 1/1 shooting, along with three rebounds, one assist and one block. In the second period, he created shots for those around him, he didn't force attempts, and when they did, he did a good…cardio from defense to offense and vice versa.
He entered the second half out of rhythm, missed the score, had a very heated conversation with Schroeder in the middle of the twelve minutes, scored his first basket in the last minute, and while he played the full twelve minutes, he was absent. Useful. He came back midway through the fourth, hitting a 3-pointer from above to make it 90-90 at 42', assisted on Lillard's long shot to make it 93-93, drew a foul shot to make it 99-96, and then nailed it to make it 103-98. An offensive rebound on his own effort and immediately allowed Lillard to finish the job. Even on his average night, he made a difference.
- 21 points
- 8/17 Two points
- 1/2 three points
- 2/4 scenes
- 9 rebounds
- 5 assists
- 2 volumes
- 2 mistakes
- 3 mistakes
- +5 to +/-
- At 34:55
Dodecalepta: 26-19, 60-44, 81-69, 115-108
Milwaukee Bucks (Doc Rivers): Crowder 6 (3/3 2-pointers, 3 rebounds, 2 assists), Antetokounmpo 21, Lopez 17 (4/4 2-pointers, 3/5 3-pointers, 5 rebounds) M Beasley 16 (2 /7 3-pointers, 4/ 4 shots, 6 rebounds), Lillard 30 (6/11 2-pointers, 5/11 3-pointers, 3/3 shots, 3 rebounds, 12 assists, 2 steals, 4 turnovers), Portis 6 (2/10 shots, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals), Connaughton 2, Beverly 2, Green 15 (5/7 3-pointers)
Brooklyn Nets (Kevin Ollie): Bridges 24 (3/5 2-pointers, 6/14 3-pointers, 6 rebounds, 2 assists), Johnson 17 (4/9 3-pointers, 8 rebounds, 4 assists), Claxton 22 (9 /12 2-pointers, 4/6 shots, 9 rebounds, 2 steals), Thomas 21 (8/12 2-pointers, 0/5 3-pointers, 5/6 shots, 6 rebounds, 4 assists), Schroder 5 ( 2/9 shots, 9 assists), Smith 5 (1 3-pointer, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals), Clowney 5 (1), Walker 2, Watford 3, Wilson 4 (5 rebounds, 2 assists)
Milwaukee Bucks Team Statistics: 27/50 2-pointers, 16/41 3-pointers, 13/15 shots, 45 rebounds, 27 assists, 5 steals, 4 blocks, 10 turnovers, 17 fouls
Brooklyn Nets Team Statistics: 28/48 2-pointers, 13/44 3-pointers, 13/16 shots, 59 rebounds, 29 assists, 7 steals, 1 block, 14 turnovers, 12 fouls
