With or without Giannis Antetokounmpo, the bucks remain an excellent team, capable of transforming into a war machine by sequences. Illustration this night, where the absence of the “Greek Freak” did not prevent them from signing a first half of fire against the net (64-47).
Except that the players of brooklyn came back with completely different intentions after the break and, with an experimental five, they gradually caught up to push Milwaukee in its entrenchments.
Fortunately for the Eastern Conference leaders, Bobby Portis (28 points, 13 rebounds) and Brook Lopez (24 points, 10 rebounds, 9 blocks) watched over the grain, allowing the Wisconsin franchise to dismiss teammates from… Patty Mills (23 points, 7 rebounds) in the last minute (118-113).
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
— Milwaukee had to employ himself. From the second quarter, we thought we were witnessing a long “garbage time” in this part, as the Bucks were a tone above the Nets. Extremely well oiled and provided in terms of talent, the collective of Wisconsin rolled on the meeting, in the wake of a Bobby Portis in demonstration (19 points, 9 rebounds at the break). But the return from the locker room did not go as imagined for the players of Mike Budenholzer, more relaxed and quickly sanctioned by the New York ardor. Hence this gap which narrowed over the minutes, before experience made the difference in “money time”.
— Halftime transformed Brooklyn. As mentioned earlier, the Nets showed two faces tonight. A rather awful first half, which saw them both force things on offense and take the tide under the Bucks’ 3-point baskets or the onslaught of Bobby Portis on the inside. Another rather enticing one, which allowed them to come back to the score and shake the best team in the league with a most unusual five. It didn’t go far in the end, but Jacque Vaughn must have appreciated the reaction and what he saw from his (young) men after the break.
— Say 98. Between them, the Nets replacements planted a whopping 98 points tonight! Simply a record in the NBA, since we distinguish the holders of the substitutes in the statistics (season 1970/71). Conversely, the five holders of Brooklyn have accumulated … 15 small points. In other words the lowest total of a starting five in the NBA since April 16, 2008 (13, for the Pistons).
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ The Portis/Lopez racquet. In the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Mike Budenholzer was still able to count on a high quality interior sector, since Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez made miseries for the Nets throughout the evening. And, this, on each side of the floor. Untenable one after the other, even sometimes even together, both to launch Milwaukee in this meeting (Portis) and to validate the success of the Bucks (Lopez), the two friends thus ensured from start to finish and ideally compensated for the missing contribution of the “Greek Freak”. So much so that Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton didn’t need to shine.
✅ Brooklyn Youth. More particularly Cam Thomas (21 points), Dru Smith (17 points), David Duke Jr. (13 points, 5 rebounds) and Day’Ron Sharpe (11 points). Surrounded by the only Patty Mills and Yuta Watanabe as model veterans, the young shooters from New York knew how to make good use of their playing time, proving right to Jacque Vaughn who made them more responsible against the leader of the East. Without the slightest hesitation or apprehension, they therefore played their game, punished the slackness of the Bucks and revitalized the Nets, to offer their team a second period and a “money time” more hooked than expected.
⛔ The Brooklyn Holders. Difficult to know if it was the performance of his five in the first half that motivated him to change everything or if it was already planned in this way, regardless of the face of the match. Still, Jacque Vaughn purely and simply decided to do without four of his starters after the break: Mikal Bridges, Seth Curry, Dorian Finney-Smith and Joe Harris, while only newcomer Nerlens Noel set foot again. on the floor in the second half. Given the performance of the New York substitutes, we can in any case say that the Brooklyn coach made the right choice…
⛔ Jevon Carter. If Khris Middleton was not flamboyant in the shoot either (5/19), he at least had the merit of making people forget his clumsiness by contributing to the rebound and the pass. For Carter, on the other hand, his lack of success (2/12, including 1/7 from 3-pointers) was felt more when he was on the floor. A stoppage for the “combo guard” of Milwaukee, who remained on two good outings at 20 then 24 points, but who this time was not able to convert his good shooting situations.
THE FOLLOWING
Milwaukee (48-18) : trip to Golden State, on the night of Saturday to Sunday (02:30).
Brooklyn (37-29) : “back-to-back” in Minnesota, on the night of Friday to Saturday (02:00).
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