Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from 124-118 win over Brooklyn Nets

Giannis Antetokounmpo lets it fly with mixed for Milwaukee Bucks in win over Nets

After having scored a season-high 49 points in the Bucks’ previous win over the Nets, all Bucks fans were curious as to whether we’d see any meaningful strategic changes in how Brooklyn would defend the reigning MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Those changes, if any, proved to be marginal as Antetokounmpo saw plenty of space between the 3-point line and the painted area. And just like he did on Sunday, Antetokounmpo sought to make the Nets pay with the lack of respect the Nets largely gave him in such spots.

For the first half, Antetokounmpo was dialed in as he splashed in three triples over the first half. Along with that, the eighth-year forward continued to have success when matched up against veteran Nets center DeAndre Jordan, who struggled to contain Antetokounmpo’s skilled and ferocious paint attacking. The only thing stopping Antetokounmpo in the first half was his foul trouble that sat him for a few minutes over the second quarter.

Despite the increased confidence Antetokounmpo sported going into the second half, his jump shooting went by the wayside over that half. There’s no question Antetokounmpo was a little more trigger-happy than was needed and getting away from what he does best could have easily been affected by Antetokounmpo’s legs and energy as well in what was a hard-fought miniseries between the two sides.

Still, Antetokounmpo went on to finish with 36 points on 11-for-30 shooting (4-for-12 from deep, 10-for-12 from the free throw line), 12 rebounds, five turnovers, four assists and a steal in 37-and-a-half minutes of run.

The Nets have made it clear that they are content with defending Antetokounmpo without sending any regular help. Antetokounmpo has shown to be willing to play that game, but his jump shooting deficiencies limit him to a certain point.