Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from 124-118 win over Brooklyn Nets
The Milwaukee Bucks pulled off one of their biggest victories yet again this 2020-21 season as they came back to thwart the Brooklyn Nets in a 124-118 win Tuesday night at Fiserv Forum.
After having held on to a 3-point win over the Nets last time out, the Bucks’ second straight victory helped Milwaukee take the season series with the second seed in the East. And while it’s slim with seven games remaining this regular season, the Bucks have set up a possible scenario to leapfrog over the Nets for the second seed by holding the tiebreaker with these pair of wins.
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Doing all of that while also officially clinching their playoff berth, the Bucks capped off quite the win that came over a direct competitor that stands in their way to make it out of the East this season. Ask them, though, and all Bucks players and coaches know they are far from finished in reaching their ultimate goal.
So without further ado, let’s explore three of the biggest takeaways that stood out in the Bucks’ win over the Brooklyn Nets Tuesday night.
Khris Middleton fuels Milwaukee Bucks’ decisive fourth quarter run
It’s safe to say the Bucks could have let the game slip their fingers after allowing 36 points to the Nets in the third quarter, all of which helped them hold a 94-92 lead at the end of three. It seemed as though the tide was turning going into the opening minutes of the fourth quarter and the Bucks needed plenty of help to stem the tide.
Enter veteran Bucks forward Khris Middleton, who had just 10 points on 3-for-12 shooting (1-for-3 from long range), six rebounds, two assists and a turnover through the first three quarters.
Middleton ended up outscoring his 10 points through the first three periods with 13 fourth quarter points and each and every bucket that went down for the two-time All-Star proved bigger than the last. It simply doesn’t get better than seeing Middleton put down this marvelously skilled finish with his left hand all while with Kevin Durant draped over him.
Meanwhile, Middleton saw plenty of Durant on the other side of the floor and credibly clamped down on the shooting space Durant seeks to get to his spots on the floor. While the one-time MVP finished with 30 points on 22 shots, Durant scored just a pair of points on 1-of-6 shooting (0-for-3 from long distance) across the fourth quarter.
Having given the Bucks a much-needed pulse and resolve going in and throughout the fourth quarter, the Bucks put together a decisive 18-1 run that spanned the 10-minute mark to the 5:52 mark of the frame. That run also gave the Bucks their biggest lead of the night at 115-104 and Milwaukee had just enough left in the tank to finish off a critical swing.
All in all, Middleton finished with 23 points on 9-for-18 shooting, seven rebounds, four assists and a pair of turnovers over his 36-plus minutes on the court. It was not a perfect performance by any means, but when the Bucks needed someone to steer the ship late, Middleton rose up and took on the reins.