Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from 117-114 win over Brooklyn Nets
By Dalton Sell
The superstars show out in the Milwaukee Bucks’ win over Nets
Both the Bucks and the Nets boast their share of star-studded rosters, highlighted by a pair of former MVP winners that went back and forth all afternoon Sunday.
Giannis Antetokounmpo lived up the hype surrounding this matchup by scoring a season-high 49 points on 21-of-36 shooting. The Greek Freak maintained an aggressive approach all throughout this one. While he did his typical damage from inside the paint, Antetokounmpo knocked down an array of jumpers from inside the arc to keep Brooklyn’s defense guessing. Furthermore, he turned heads by knocking down a season-high four triples on eight attempts.
In addition to his prolific scoring numbers, Antetokounmpo left his mark all over this game by tallying eight rebounds, four assists, along with three impressive blocks and a steal. Playing just over 35-and-a-half minutes, the reigning two-time MVP put on a dominant all-around showing in the win over Brooklyn.
The Nets got a boost from their superstar as well as Kevin Durant was phenomenal by scoring 42 points on 16-of-33 shooting (7-of-13 from behind the arc). The Bucks tried throwing a handful of defenders at Durant that included Antetokounmpo, Tucker, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday, trying to slow him down at any cost. Whenever it seemed like the Bucks needed a stop to bolster their lead, the forward would come down the court and knock down another clutch shot to keep things close.
The supporting stars for both also stepped up as Middleton and Holiday combined to score 44 points, while Kyrie Irving finished with 20 points. Still, the top storyline throughout this one was all about the heavyweight matchup of Antetokounmpo versus Durant.