Brooklyn Nets Struggle Offensively, Fall to Milwaukee Bucks

147. 111. 89. Final. 93

Coming off of a thrilling win over the Los Angeles Clippers, the Brooklyn Nets tried to make it two wins in a row against the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Brooklyn Nets began the first of two games in three days vs. the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night. Brooklyn and Milwaukee played a fairly even first quarter, as the two teams traded buckets and then simultaneously went cold toward the end of the quarter. The Nets shot 40 percent from the field in the first quarter, as Randy Foye led Brooklyn with seven points, while Brook Lopez added five. For Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored five first quarter points as the Bucks led by one, 27-26, at the end of the first quarter.

Both teams continued a rather slow offensive pace in the early part of the second quarter. Brooklyn’s offense started to pick up when Bojan Bogdanovic hit an open three pointer. Isaiah Whitehead then showed off his athleticism with a dazzling spin that Matthew Dellavedova could not defend. The layup gave the Nets a 36-32 lead. Overall, the Nets struggled in multiple facets in the second quarter. Brooklyn didn’t pass the ball particularly well, struggled to space the floor effectively, and had a flurry of turnovers. Sean Kilpatrick was one bright spot in the second quarter. After the best game of his career against the Clippers, Kilpatrick started to find his rhythm in the second quarter.

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A late 6-0 run helped the Nets get close toward the of the second quarter. Brook Lopez missed a three that would’ve gave the Nets the lead, but Brooklyn trailed by just one, 52-51, at half. Kilpatrick led the Nets with 12 first half points, while Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 12 of his own.

In the third quarter, the Bucks got production from both Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker. At the 5:16 mark, Milwaukee was on an 18-4 run, which gave the Bucks a 13 point lead, their largest of the game at that point. Once again, the third quarter plagued the Nets. Brooklyn went to their not-so-secret weapon, the three-pointer, to try to get back into the game. Joe Harris hit two three’s, and Brook Lopez connected on a three of his own as the Nets tried to make a comeback.

The Bucks seemingly continued to make big shots when necessary. Brooklyn cut the lead to seven, but Tony Snell made his third three-pointer of the night late in the third quarter to give Milwaukee a 10 point lead. Milwaukee added on slightly, to take a 12 point lead, 90-78, into the fourth quarter. The Bucks outscored the Nets 38-27 in the third quarter.

For the second straight game, the Nets faced a deficit heading into the fourth quarter. Brooklyn continued to fight, but their offense simply went cold. With six minutes remaining, the Nets were down by 14, and had missed nine consecutive shots. Brooklyn went a span of four in-game minutes without a bucket. That span allowed Milwaukee to pad their lead, and ultimately the Bucks came away with the win, 111-93.

Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 23 points, which came in just three quarters of play. Parker added 22 for Milwaukee. Brook Lopez led the Nets with 15 points.

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For the ninth straight game, the Nets gave up 110 points or more, something the franchise has not done since 1987. The Nets and Bucks will match up once again on Saturday, in Milwaukee.

Nets Struggle Offensively, Fall to Bucks

By Tj Porreca | Dec 1, 2016

Coming off of a thrilling win over the Los Angeles Clippers, the Brooklyn Nets tried to make it two wins in a row against the Milwaukee Bucks.

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