Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from 117-114 win over Brooklyn Nets

After weeks of anticipation, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets squared off for the second time this season on Sunday afternoon.

With all of the discussion about a potential seven-game series between these two down the road dominating recent conversations, this was a must-see matchup. Although health has not permitted a fully healthy game between the two teams just yet, it is safe to say that this game lived up to the hype as these two teams battled it out in a down-to-the-wire finish.

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In fact, the game came down to the final shot at the buzzer, a missed triple by Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant that would have sent the game into overtime for an extra five minutes.

With a 117-114 victory over the Nets, the Bucks moved to 40-24 on the season and still stand in third place in the Eastern Conference standings. They are now just three games back of the top spot and they will have another chance to gain some ground with a rematch Tuesday.

Following Sunday’s win, the stakes for Tuesday night’s game are certainly heightened as the winner will clinch the tiebreaker between these two teams heading into the playoffs. Before that highly-anticipated game tips off, here are three takeaways from Milwaukee’s massive win over Brooklyn Sunday afternoon.

Bryn Forbes and P.J. Tucker give the Milwaukee Bucks’ bench a pulse in win over Nets

With their best bench scorer, Bobby Portis, sidelined for this one with a stomach illness, the Bucks needed the scoring in the second unit to come from elsewhere.

That much-needed offense came from the sharpshooting of Bryn Forbes, who scored 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting and shot 3-of-5 from deep in almost 19 minutes of action. The guard has been on a hot streak recently offensively and has been providing a massive spark both off the bench and in the starting lineup. With the rest of Milwaukee’s reserves chipping in just eight total points, Forbes took it upon himself to give the Bucks some solid production off the bench.

That minimal production included three points from P.J. Tucker, who characteristically knocked down a corner three to get himself on the scoreboard. Although he took just one shot from the floor, Tucker’s impact was written all over this game not because of his efforts on offense, but for his intensity on the defensive side of the ball. Logging just over 23 minutes, the forward played some robust defense throughout the contest and took an aggressive approach as he finished with five personal fouls.

The Bucks traded for Tucker back in March because of games like this one. His ability to switch from player to player defensively can unlock something special for Milwaukee, which was on display all throughout this matchup. That stature on the defensive side of the ball will be pivotal for Milwaukee in a postseason setting, particularly if they come across this very Brooklyn team.

All in all, Forbes filled in and provided the offensive firepower in the second unit, while Tucker played his role to perfection with some stellar defense.