The first half of Nets-Bucks on Sunday at the Barclays Center had no shortage of notable moments.
In the first quarter, Cam Johnson blocked Giannis Antetokounmpo’s layup on one side, then drained one of his four 3-pointers on the other, set up by a nice pass from Ben Simmons that split two Milwaukee defenders.
Nic Claxton crossed into Brook Lopez at the top of the key, with the shot clock running out, and finished at the rim with a two-handed slam. The 6-11 center made several blocks in the final minutes of the second quarter and played like a man possessed.
Dennis Schröder scored 19 points in his first 15 minutes on the court, capped by a floater that sent the Nets into the locker room at halftime with a 52-51 advantage. The Bucks had won eight of their last 10 games entering the day, but Brooklyn put on a show early and seemed unfazed.
However, the Nets needed a few more moments to go on their way, and they didn’t, resulting in a heartbreaking 118-113 loss. After taking a 12-point lead midway through the third quarter, Milwaukee closed the period on a 17-5 run to tie the game at 86 heading into the final quarter.
An Antetokounmpo dunk on a Schröder miss gave the Bucks a 111-108 lead with 1:09 left. Cam Johnson couldn’t answer on the other end of the line. But a bad pass from Damian Lillard ended up in the hands of Keon Johnson, and Brooklyn had one last shot to tie the game.
The Nets pushed in transition and the ball found Keon Johnson. The guard took one dribble, then hoisted a highly contested 3-pointer that missed the other side of the rim. If he had, it would have been the moment of the match. Instead, it was the defining stop for the Bucks, as they were able to close out the game from there at the free throw line.
Schröder finished with 34 points, three rebounds and 11 assists for Brooklyn, and Cam Johnson added 26 points in a 50.6% team shooting effort. Claxton had his best overall game of the season with 21 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks.
Antetokounmpo matched Schröder with 34 points in Milwaukee’s 12th win of the season.
The Nets fell to 10-14 and have now lost four of their last five games. Their season series with the Bucks is tied 1-1. They will face Milwaukee two more times this season, both at Fiserv Forum on December 26 and January 2.
Brooklyn will have the next four days off after failing to advance to the round of 16 of the Emirates NBA Cup. He will return to action Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum.
