The Milwaukee Bucks are officially headed to a Game 7 with the Brooklyn Nets in what has been a back and forth battle in these Eastern Conference Semifinals.
After embarrassingly blowing a 17-point lead in Game 5, the Bucks came into Game 6 with an immediate sense of urgency and never looked back from the opening tip. The Nets never claimed a lead throughout this game, although they certainly inched too close for comfort on multiple occasions before the Bucks eventually punched this one home with a 104-89 victory.
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Despite building up a lead that grew to as sizeable as 21 in the fourth quarter, the Bucks were still not themselves in several aspects throughout this contest, most notably their offense.
They shot just 37-of-82 (45.1 percent) from the field and an abysmal 7-of-33 (21.2 percent) from behind the arc, but still managed to cross the 100-point threshold and ultimately secure the victory to keep their playoff hopes alive.
With that being said, here are three takeaways from last night’s thrilling Game 6 victory by the Bucks over the Nets.
The Milwaukee Bucks dominate on the fastbreak in Game 6 win over the Brooklyn Nets
Consistent offense has been hard to come by for the Bucks in this series, meaning they will take any opportunity to get out in transition for an easy basket.
With Milwaukee snatching four steals within the first four minutes, they created several fastbreak opportunities to get easy points on the board early. This aggressiveness continued throughout the game, and by the time that final buzzer rang, the Bucks had racked up an impressive 26 points on the break. Not only were they playing pesky defense to create these chances, but they were ultimately finishing them as well, which has been a problem to this point with their oftentimes stagnant offense.
Unsurprisingly, the player that did the most damage was Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has proven himself to be a one-man wrecking crew in the open court. According to NBA.com/stats, the Greek Freak finished with 14 of Milwaukee’s 26 total fastbreak points, taking it to the rim time and time again looking to capitalize on the opportunity. More on his stellar efforts in a moment.
On the other hand, the Nets were far from impactful on the break as they mustered up just four fast break points for the night. One particular play that was making the rounds was of Brooklyn’s star guard James Harden, who did not look to make a run on the break after grabbing a steal early on. Of course, Harden has been hampered by a lingering hamstring issue in this series, and it is clearly hindering his play as he would typically show an extra burst of speed with a chance to score in transition.
The Milwaukee Bucks slow down the Brooklyn Nets’ stars in Game 6 victory
Kevin Durant torched the Bucks in Game 6 by putting on an all-time historically great performance with 49 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists.
It goes without saying that slowing him down was high on their priority list heading into this game, and the Bucks largely did an impactful job. Durant finished with 32 points on 15-of-30 shooting from the field, including a lackluster 2-of-8 from 3-point range. The forward saw some sequences against Jrue Holiday and scarcely Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the one player that guarded him for most of the night was P.J. Tucker.
Tucker and Durant have been going back-and-forth all series in a sheer display of physicality, and it was nice to see Tucker play solid after Durant got the upper hand in Game 6. Although he put up reputable numbers, Durant racked up seven turnovers on the night as he was being hounded by Tucker each time they went against one another. Milwaukee’s bruiser has played a massive role in this series, and they will need another stellar performance in this dire Game 7.
In addition to Durant, all eyes were on how James Harden might perform following his return in Game 5. Harden’s aforementioned hamstring issue has put an obvious dent in his production, although he managed to put up solid numbers last night with 16 points, five rebounds, seven assists, and four steals. Yet, Holiday was playing persistent defense on him all night long and helped force the guard to cough up four turnovers of his own in the game. Taking just nine shot attempts, Harden has been limited, but the Bucks are doing their part to slow him down further.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ Big 3 was stellar in Game 6 win over Brooklyn Nets
With their season hanging in the balance, the Bucks’ leading trio left everything out on the floor as they propelled this team to victory.
Milwaukee’s star of the night was certainly Khris Middleton, who had himself a performance for the ages. The forward took this game over by scoring 38 points on a highly efficient 11-of-16 shooting from the field, including 5-of-8 from long range. One particular stretch that stood out was in the closing moments of the third quarter, where the Nets had just cut their deficit to five points. Middleton immediately closed the quarter with a 6-0 run by himself, which included a buzzer-beater at the rim.
Yet, Middleton was doing far more for the Bucks than just scoring at will as he also notched 10 rebounds, five assists, and an impressive five steals. He was the unsung hero for this team in a win-or-go-home matchup to keep their season alive, and he deserves his props for a sensational effort in Game 6.
Antetokounmpo followed suit as he also had a fantastic game with 30 points, 17 rebounds, and three assists. Interestingly enough, Giannis shot 12-of-20 from the field in this game, with not a single shot attempt coming from the perimeter. Although it is far from his forte, Antetokounmpo has gotten too reliable on that shot during this series, and it was welcoming to see him adapt and not even think of heaving a triple as he worked inside all night. Also shooting 6-of-10 from the free throw line, he was better from the stripe, but there is still work to be done.
Lastly, Holiday rounded out the trio with a very perplexing performance. Finishing with 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and four steals, his final stat line looks great, which it was. However, one issue that continued rising in this game was Holiday’s awful shot selection, primarily from the deep, where he was just 1-for-10 in the game. With Harden often guarding him, Holiday opted for several difficult stepback 3-point attempts rather than driving and making the limited Harden stay in front of him. Aside from that barrage of missed shots, Holiday was great.
Largely thanks to their Big 3, the Bucks have forced a Game 7 against the Nets that will be played this Saturday. It will be must-see action with everything on the line for both teams, and you can catch the action at 7:30 p.m. CST on TNT.