Malachi Smith's Big Night a Takeaway As The Nets Fall To The Bucks

The Brooklyn Nets (20-61) embarked on their final road trip of the 2025-26 season on Friday with a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks (32-49).

The Nets are still in the race for top-three draft lottery odds, needing to drop their final two games of the season to give themselves the best shot at it. This was another tank-off game, as the Bucks are looking ahead to life without Giannis Antetokounmpo and a high draft pick. The Nets lost the game 125-108, but won the tanking battle in the process.

Here are the biggest takeaways from the Nets road loss to the Bucks.

1. Tyson Etienne's Big Game

The Nets had no answers defensively in the first quarter, allowing the Bucks to score 38 points and get whatever they wanted. The only reason they were still in the game was thanks to Tyson Etienne, who had 15 first-quarter points. He went 4-6 from three in the quarter, lighting up Milwaukee's defense.

Etienne finished the night with 23 points on 6-12 shooting from the field. His previous season-high before Friday's game was 18 points, a number he almost passed in the first quarter alone. This was a very impressive performance from the young guard, who's looking to earn another NBA contract this offseason.

2. Malachi Smith Shines

Etienne wasn't the only young guard to have a big night for the Nets on Friday. Malachi Smith had another strong, underrated performance against the Bucks. He finished the game with 19 points, eight rebounds, and ten assists.

Smith is one of several Nets who have emerged as candidates to snag another NBA contract this offseason. His combination of scoring ability, passing skills, and defensive upside makes him a very interesting option for teams this offseason. This was a great game for him to put on tape as he strives for another contract this Summer.

3. Three-Point Defense Struggled

The Nets have had a lot of trouble defending the three this season. Those struggles continued in the second-to-last game of the season for Brooklyn. The Bucks shot an absurd 24-48 from behind the arc in this game. A.J. Green and Taurean Prince combined for 17 of the threes in this game, as the Nets had no answers for that duo.

This is an aspect of the defense that Jordi Fernandez needs to prioritize this offseason if Brooklyn has dreams of competing in the near future. Allowing opposing teams to knock down over 20 triples a game is no recipe for success. They need to figure that out this offseason.