Brooklyn Nets comeback falls short in loss to Bucks, 109-94
By Omri Benami
The Brooklyn Nets came out slow in today’s matinee match up against the Milwaukee Bucks. After being down big, the Nets were able to fight back and cut the game to single digits. In the end it wasn’t enough, however, as the Bucks won 109-94
The Brooklyn Nets came out extremely slow in the first quarter today, and really in the first half. They were down 21 at the break, and looked disinterested on both ends. On offense, the Nets weren’t able to get any penetration to the basket, and settled for a lot of three pointers. Although many of these shots were open looks, they weren’t able to hit.
The Nets were down 28 at one point in the third. They were able to cut it to nine, and trailed by 11 going into the fourth quarter. Milwaukee’s lead was even down to seven at one point in the fourth, but that was as close as it got.
It felt like every time the Nets were close, Milwaukee was able to hit a dagger shot. The Bucks have now won ten straight games against Kenny Atkinson’s squad.
D’Angelo Russell was in foul trouble all game, and fouled out early in the fourth quarter. He had just three points on one of eight shooting.
The biggest issue for Brooklyn was dealing with Milwaukee’s length. The Nets looked overmatched on the boards, and were out-rebounded 54-36.
The Bucks’ bigmen also rejected numerous Brooklyn attempts near the rim, finishing with seven blocks.
Unsurprisingly, the Nets struggled with their shooting: 41 percent from the field and 31 percent from three.
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John Henson led the way for the Bucks with 22 points and 18 rebounds and was a menace defensively. Henson looks to be a solid comp for Nets rookie Jarrett Allen. Allen had another strong game himself, with 14 points and seven rebounds. It was Allen’s seventh consecutive game with double digits in points.
Caris Levert had 15 points on the game, while continuing to work his way back from injury. On a day when Russell was mostly unavailable, the Nets needed the jolt from their second year guard.
If you want to take a positive out of this game, it starts with the Nets ability to fight back despite being down over twenty points. This is a good sign for a team that generally plays a lot of close games. The YES network ran a graphic that showed Brooklyn has played a league high 20 games this season decided by five points or less. They are 10-10 in such games.
Looking to match their 20 wins from last season, the Nets will host MVP candidate James Harden and the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. They travel to Detroit the following day to take on the Pistons.