Brooklyn Nets vs. Milwaukee Bucks Recap: Nets Embarrassed Again in Milwaukee

Andray Blatche

For the second consecutive day the Brooklyn Nets were embarrassed in a winnable game, this time losing to the Milwaukee Bucks 108-93 on the road. Brook Lopez was the best player for the Nets with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Gerald Wallace also contributed 8 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings combined for 45 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists for Milwaukee. Ersan Ilyasova and Mike Dunleavy each had 17 points off the bench.

This game was very similar to the Celtics game yesterday. After one quarter, the Nets were ahead by 2 but the lead didn’t last long. The second quarter was a horrible one for the Nets and they trailed by 13 points at halftime. The Nets stayed in the game in the third quarter and got as close as 4 points in the fourth quarter, but never really looked like they were going to be able to win the game. Whenever they got close, Milwaukee forced a turnover or made a 3 to prevent a Brooklyn comeback.

The 3-point shot was a big story in this game. Brooklyn shot only 4-21 from deep, good for 19%. Meanwhile, Milwaukee shot 10-17 for 59%. That was the biggest difference in the game. Rebounding was another issue. The Nets were outrebounded 49-43 against a team which is not especially good at rebounding.

A big story heading into the game was that Deron Williams did not play because of a wrist injury. This is an injury he has been dealing with the whole season but this was the first game he has missed because of it. If this is why Deron has been playing bad this season, he should sit out as long as he needs to until it is completely healed. Because of this injury, C.J. Watson got the start at point guard.

For a box score of this game, click here. 

Player grades and notes: 

Gerald Wallace: B

Wallace came close to a triple double tonight with 8 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. Still, he only shot 2-8 from the field. I understand how he got his 12 rebounds; he was very active on the glass tonight. But his 8 assists puzzle me. He did not seem that involved in the offense. His defense on the Bucks guards was mediocre at best.

Brook Lopez: B

Brook had 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks tonight. Those numbers look good, but he really didn’t play that well. One good thing that Lopez did was tipping the ball out on offensive rebounds. This is something that Tyson Chandler of the Knicks does very often and it helped Lopez get 7 offensive rebounds tonight. His defense on Larry Sanders and Ekpe Udoh was pretty terrible and the pair combined for 20 points and 20 rebounds.

C.J. Watson: C

Watson got his first start of the season because of Deron Williams’s wrist injury. He shot terribly, 2-12 from the field and had only 2 assists. He did not play good defense on Jennings or Ellis and only had one steal.

Joe Johnson: D

Joe Johnson had his second straight terrible game. He again shot under 35% from the field and finished with 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. On a night where JJ needed to step up without D-Will, Johnson was pretty invisible again.

Keith Bogans: B-

Bogans did more than I thought he would, scoring 11 points on 4-8 shooting. He also contributed 5 rebounds in 30 minutes. Nothing spectacular from Bogans, but he is not a spectacular player at all.

Andray Blatche: B

Andray Blatche brings so much entertainment to otherwise very boring Nets games. In only 18 minutes, Blatche had 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks, and 3 turnovers. Whenever Blatche touches the ball it is an adventure and I thank him for that. He was the second leading scorer for the Nets tonight even though he got the 8th most minutes of anyone on the team.

Tyshawn Taylor: B

These were Tyshawn Taylor’s first real NBA minutes, and he did about as well as I expected from him. He was the bakcup point guard today because of Deron Williams’s injury. He scored a career high 7 points in 20 minutes on 3-6 shooting. He often looked out of control and had two turnovers, but that is to be expected of a rookie getting his first real minutes.

After today, the Nets will have tomorrow off and then return home for a pair of very winnable games against the Bobcats and Cavaliers on Friday and Saturday. The schedule for this team is hopefully getting easier and the Nets need to take advantage of it.