The Milwaukee Bucks hosted the Brooklyn Nets for night 1 of their 2-game series at Fiserv Forum. Both of those teams are explosive forces in the Eastern Conference. The last time they played each other was January 18th, 2021. In that game, Kevin Durant put the icing on the cake as he hit a 3-pointer with 36 seconds left. They always say things come full circle. This time around, the ball was in Durant’s hands at the end, but it would be a completely different outcome.
The Nets were off to a strong start. Although the Bucks kept it close and it was tied 3 times early on, that was not enough. At the 7:08 mark, the Nets took a 5-point lead which made the Bucks want to talk it over. Following that, they still could not maintain Kyrie Irving. He hit a jumper and then drew the foul. After knocking in his free throw, it put the Nets up 19-11. From there, they were the aggressors. With 41 seconds to go, that lead stretched to 14. It was a 37-28 game going into the second.
The second quarter was mostly in favor of the Nets. The Bucks cut it to 3 within the first 2 minutes. At that moment, that is the closest they were able to get. Eventually, the Nets were at an 8-point advantage. It was not until the final minute and a half that the Bucks took their first lead since the opening quarter. Khris Middleton’s reverse layup was responsible for that. Overall, the Nets were outscored 34-22 in the second quarter. As a result, the Bucks headed to the locker room with a 62-59 lead.
Much of the third quarter looked like the ending of the first half. Still in control were the Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo hit a three less than a minute into it. Durant made him pay for it as the quarter came to an end. He knocked down a 3-pointer with 50 seconds left. Soon the game was tied. Both the Nets and Bucks were knotted up at 90 as they made their way to the fourth quarter.
To begin the last quarter, the Nets came out full force. They were in front for the first 5 minutes. Then, their defense got too comfortable. Antetokounmpo’s dunk gave the Bucks their lead back. It was a mistake that would end up costing the Nets because they never recovered. From there, all the way up to the end of the quarter, it was all Bucks. With 3.6 seconds left in regulation, Durant missed the 3-pointer to send it to overtime. As a result, the Bucks walked away with a 117-114 victory.
Antetokounmpo almost had a 50-game. He finished with 49 points. Middleton ended the game with a double-double. He had 26 points and 11 rebounds. The silver lining for the Nets in the midst of the loss was Durant. He left with 42 points and 10 rebounds, earning himself a double-double as well. Irving finished with 20.
When asked how it felt to go back and forth with Durant, the Greek Freak acknowledged and respected his game.
“KD is one of the greatest players to ever play the game, he said. “If you go back and forth with a guy like that he’s going to have 60 or 70.”
Up Next:
The Bucks and Nets will face each other again on Tuesday, May 4th at 7:30pm.
