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Eric Bledsoe shines, Bucks beat Nets 131-121
By InsideHoops.comApril 1, 2019
11:34 p.m. ET
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Giannis Antetokounmpo, Eric Bledsoe and George Hill scored big Monday in Barlays Center as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Brooklyn Nets, 131-121.Bledsoe was everywhere for the Bucks, shooting 10-of-19 for 29 points, plus five rebounds, seven assists, five steals and two blocks.
Antetokounmpo struggled with his shot tonight, hitting just 9-of-23 but as always, still producing. The MVP candidate finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds. One of the more quiet games he's played this season.
And Hill, coming off the bench, played a big role tonight, scoring 22 points in 27 minutes, on 8-of-11 shooting.
The Bucks shot 50% FG for the night, holding the Nets to 41.5% FG.
"They have a lot of good defensive players," said Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson after the game. "Eric Bledsoe is a physical matchup and elite defender. They have Giannis obviously, and Brook [Lopez] who protects the rim. They got into us."
The Bucks got off to a big start tonight, winning the first quarter 35-20. "We weren't ready for that onslaughter," said Atkinson. "Give them a lot of credit. They came with the juice and the energy."
But then the Nets won the second quarter by 10 and the third quarter by three, leading to a fourth quarter thriller that made the first quarter feel like a distant memory.
D'Angelo Russell finished with 28 points, but on just 9-of-27 FG. He grabbed 10 rebounds, but had three assists and six turnovers.
The other big Nets scorers tonight were reserve guard-forward Caris LeVert (24 points, 8-of-15 FG, plus six assists) and starting small forward DeMarre Carroll (20 points on 14 shots).
"It was his best game," said Atkinson of LeVert, who produced his first 20-point game since November 6, 2018.
Despite the first quarter, it was a good, competitive game, and the Nets fought hard, but the Bucks continued their season-long habit: winning.
An InsideHoops.com interview with Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova will be published tomorrow.