The Nets opened their regular season with a 127-104 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.
Here are some key takeaways …
– Without Kyrie Irving, the Nets started James Harden, Joe Harris, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and Nic Claxton.
-The Bucks were on the attack early on, starting out 5-for-8 from three-point range with Giannis Antetokounmpo scoring 13 points and grabbing eight rebounds in the first seven-and-a-half minutes. The Nets, meanwhile, were disjointed out of the gates, missing their first five threes and starting 6-of-17 from the floor.
Patty Mills provided a nice sparking off the bench, hitting three three-pointers in the first, but Milwaukee took a 37-25 lead into the second quarter.
– Harden started cooking in the second, hitting three step-back threes in the first few minutes to give him 15 points for the game and bring the Nets within 10.
The Bucks extended the lead, but some buckets from Durant and Harris brought Brooklyn back within six points at 61-55. Durant blocked a three in the final seconds as Milwaukee took a 66-59 lead into the break. Harden and Mills tied for the team lead with 15 points apiece in the first half.
– Durant led the way for the Nets in the third quarter. After scoring 11 points in the first half, Durant added 13 points in the quarter. Meanwhile, Mills continued to be a sniper from beyond the arc, as he hit his first six threes of the game.
But the Bucks’ offense continued to hum. Antetokounmpo led the way with 25 points, 12 rebounds and five assists through three, while Khris Middleton added 18, as the Bucks took a 97-85 lead into the final 12 minutes.
– In the fourth, Mills’ extended his perfect three-point streak to his first seven shots, tying a Nets’ record for most threes of the bench in a game (h/t Brian Lewis of the New York Post). But the Greek Freak, along with the Bucks’ three-point shooting, continued to be too much for the Nets to handle. The Bucks built back up a huge lead, and the game ended with some garbage time.
Antetokounmpo finished with 32 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists, while Middleton and Pat Connaughton had 20 points apiece.
For the Nets, Durant led the team with 32 points and 11 rebounds. Harden had 20 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, while Mills finished with 21 on perfect 7-of-7 shooting.
What’s next
The Nets will be back on the court on Friday night when they take on the Sixers in Philadelphia at 7:30 p.m.