The Milwaukee Bucks got themselves right back into this best of seven series after evening up the Eastern Conference Semifinals 2-2 against the Brooklyn Nets.
Sunday afternoon’s Game 4 was a hard-fought battle from start to finish, but the Bucks – who started to play like the Bucks – managed to make this a series as they knotted things up at two games apiece with a 107-96 victory. They handled their homecourt business by taking both games at Fiserv Forum, but Milwaukee will be put to the test as the series shifts back to Brooklyn for tonight’s Game 5.
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Both teams have played far from their best basketball to this point in the series, but with the opportunity to take a 3-2 lead on the line, both sides should come into this matchup more motivated than ever to get this victory.
For the Bucks, that means playing a similar brand of basketball that saw them win in Games 3 and 4, particularly the latter. With that being said, here are three keys to victory for Milwaukee tonight.
The Milwaukee Bucks must keep the Brooklyn Nets’ contributions from deep to a minimum in Game 5
There were several reasons why the Nets throttled the Bucks in the first two matchups in this series, but the 3-point shooting was among the most prominent.
Brooklyn shot a combined 36-of-81 (44.4 percent) from behind the arc in Games 1 and 2, lighting it up to the point where Milwaukee did not have an answer defensively. Meanwhile, the Bucks were not any better offensively as they shot a glaring 14-of-57 (24.6 percent) from 3-point range in that same timeframe. Given their heavy reliance on the long ball, the Bucks are not likely to win many games when they are shooting such a lackluster percentage from deep.
However, despite still looking for their shooting stroke, the Bucks have managed to win the last two games at Fiserv Forum. A massive reason for that is that the Nets have gone cold from distance by shooting just 18-of-65 (27.7 percent) from downtown in those matchups. Brooklyn’s offense has suffered because of this poor shooting, as Games 3 and 4 were the first time all season that the Nets failed to score 100 points in consecutive games. This team unquestionably has a high-powered offense and it is lethal when they are clicking.
Yet, if the Bucks can play tough defense and not give the Nets easy looks on the perimeter, recent history suggests they stand a better chance. As one of the best long range shooting teams in the association during the regular season, it will be hard to keep Brooklyn at bay, but it is achievable for Milwaukee and they should emphasize it.