© Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
The Milwaukee Bucks pull away late to beat the Brooklyn Nets
The Milwaukee Bucks quickly returned on the winning track by pulling off a lopsided 144-122 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night.
The Nets rested three players who played on Tuesday night in Detroit, and the Bucks were quick to capitalize to move up to 2-1 in their four-game road trip.
Milwaukee will end the road trip with a duel with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with a near triple-double performance, finishing with 32 points, ten rebounds and eight assists.
Damian Lillard settled for just 12 points, but Khris Middleton, Malik Beasley, and three reserves helped pick up the scoring slack as the Bucks improved to 23-8 on the season.
Catching fire from three
Middleton tallied 27 points and ten assists, Beasley had 17, Cameron Payne added points, Bobby Portis Jr. had 14, and MarJon Beauchamp chipped in 11 points.
Three-point conversions were a significant factor in the contest. The Bucks made 23 of their 51 attempts from three-point range, with Payne and Beasley dropping five each.
The Nets dropped to 15-16 and could only make seven of their 32 three-point attempts.
Bucks tear game apart in endgame
It was actually a close game in the early goings, but without Spencer Dinwiddie, Nic Claxton, and Cam Johnson, the Nets fizzled out in the closing minutes.
The Bucks were only ahead by one with 1:44 left in the third quarter, 91-90, but ended the period with a 9-2 run to build a 100-92 lead.
Milwaukee’s lead ballooned to 120-106 halfway through the fourth period, and the game was never close since then. The Bucks exploded for 44 points in the final stanza to seal the game, pulling away.
Jalen Wilson led the Nets with 21 points and ten rebounds, Trenton Watson added 17, while Dennis Smith Jr. and rookie Noah Clowney chipped in 14 each.
Cam Thomas, who exploded for 45 points in the two teams’ first meeting on November 6th, was also won by the Bucks, 129-125, and only managed eight points in 11 minutes of play.
