|
|
Giannis dominates, Bucks beat injury-riddled Nets 113-94
By InsideHoops.comFebruary 5, 2019
Updated 1:34 p.m. ET
| SHARE |
Some days, the ball just refuses to go in the basket. For the Nets, that day was yesterday, against the team with the best record in the NBA.Behind a dominant performance from All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks visited Brooklyn and beat a short-handed Nets team, 113-94.
Cold from the start, the Nets, playing without a number of key players, shot a shockingly low 11.9% from three-point range, connecting on just 5 of 42 attempts.
Giannis, recently voted one of two captains in the upcoming 2019 NBA All-Star game, put up an incredible statline: 12 of 29 FG for 30 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists and three blocks. Malcolm Brogdon added 16 points and eight rebounds. Eric Bledsoe scored 15.
The Bucks weren't even close to their best, shooting a modest 42.6% FG and bricking many three-pointers on their own, hitting just 10 of 39 (25.5%) from outside the arc. Partial credit definitely goes to the Nets and their hustle.
Milwaukee head coach Mike Budenholzer was pleased. "Really good win. The focus coming out of halftime was really good."
That it was. The Bucks outscored the Nets by six points in the first quarter, by three in the second, but really turned things up in the third quarter, winning it by 14. And then sailed to victory.
The Nets were without a flock of key players. They were missing Spencer Dinwiddie, Allen Crabbe, Joe Harris, Jared Dudley and Caris LeVert. That's practically a full lineup. Leading the team in this matchup was All-Star guard D'Angelo Russell, who struggled, scoring 18 points but on 20 shots, and dishing just five assists.
"They've got a lot of size," said Russell about the visiting squad. "They're an active team."
"They are really tough to score on," added Nets coach Kenny Atkinson. "They have really good rim protection and I thought their defense was outstanding. We struggled to shoot and had trouble scoring the ball. Big credit to their defense."
The team's second-leading scorer was reserve Shabazz Napier, who shot 4 of 15 and managed to go 0 for 10 from three-point range, finishing with 15 points. Reserves Theo Pinson and DeMarre Carroll shot 2 for 9 and 2 for 12, respectively. The Nets as a team shot 32.4% FG.
The Nets were on a nine-game home winning streak before hosting the Bucks.
The Bucks are now 39-13 -- the NBA's best record -- while the Nets are 28-27, which is a respectable sixth best in the East.
Inside Hoops NBA game recap of Brooklyn Nets vs the Milwaukee Bucks played on Monday, February 4, 2019.