Nets Dominate Bucks: Historic +45 Victory

No, you are not dreaming, Milwaukee actually hit rock bottom in Brooklyn yesterday, losing by 45 points after losing every quarter to concede its eleventh defeat in fifteen games! Only time will tell to what extent this setback will have marked Doc Rivers and his troops, even without Giannis Antetokounmpo. On the Brooklyn side, on the other hand, this success is undoubtedly the most edifying of the season, and it is already the fourth in six games!

It also puts a damper on the NBA, which is doing everything possible to push superstars to play as many games as possible, with more injuries as the only result so far. Brooklyn showed that basketball is not just that, proving throughout the season that we can do great things with strong playing principles and a clear philosophy. Even without Cam Thomas, the Nets delivered a clean and flawless match, with the collective as their superstar. And knock!

Kevin Porter Jr and Kyle Kuzma were in illusion for barely ten minutes, before seeing Brooklyn catch fire. The locals actually finished the first act with a 13-4 to take the lead, driven by a stunning Day’Ron Sharpe (37-25). The Wolf-Martin-Claxton trio launched the charge immediately, but the Bucks made a point of remaining below the 20-point gap until the break, thanks to the combined efforts of Myles Turner, Gary Trent Jr and Kyle Kuzma. Nic Claxton took revenge in his own way with a big two-handed dunk just before the break (65-46). But the best was yet to come!

Despite Gary Trent Jr swimming alone against the tide, the Bucks ended up being swallowed up by a scathing 16-4 after returning from the locker room, fueled by 3-point arrows from Egor Demin, Noah Clowney twice and Michael Porter Jr (91-63). This time, the mass was said, Milwaukee dived for good and Brooklyn finished like a cannonball, like Danny Wolf’s flight then the 3-pointer from Tyrese Martin’s logo to end the third quarter with a score of 99 to 71!

Brooklyn played hard until the end, letting Drake Powell, Ziaire Williams and Jalen Wilson shine in turn, author of the last basket of this historic victory which will help boost the morale of the Nets before the next match against Miami on Thursday. At the same time, Milwaukee will have to react at home against Toronto.

WHAT TO REMEMBER

HI-STO-RIQUE! These Nets tied the franchise record for the largest victory by sealing a 45-point victory. We have to go back to January 9, 1993 to find traces of such an exploit, when the New Jersey Nets crushed the Washington Bullets, 124 to 79. Who would have believed it?

A referee’s incredible heel assist for Terance Mann. There are nights like that, when everything goes well for you, and Brooklyn knew very quickly that this would be the case in this match. The reason? During a counter-attack led by Nic Claxton at the very start of the match, the poorly adjusted pivot pass headed towards the touchline. Except that the ball bounced on the heel of a referee, which had the merit of putting Terance Mann in perfect position to draw and score 3-points! Never seen before!

The superstar collective. There are a bunch of figures to highlight the remarkable collective performance of the Nets in this meeting, between the 19 3-point baskets scored at 44% success, or the 33 assists out of 45 baskets scored. But we will especially remember the sharing of the ball since ten players finished with 10 points or more. This is the whole problem for the opponent, when the threats are diverse and the scoring does not only rest on the shoulders of one or two players. Chapeau Brooklyn, who was also playing without his coach, Jordi Fernandez, ill and replaced by Steve Hetzel.

Milwaukee at the bottom of the hole. Eleventh defeat in fifteen games for Milwaukee which is completely giving up, as this match perfectly illustrated. We’ll have to hold on to get back up the slope. In this case, apart from the return of Giannis Antetokounmpo, we do not really see what could boost a group which does not lack talent, between Kevin Porter Jr, Gary Trent Jr, Myles Turner, Bobby Portis and Kyle Kuzma. Clearly, there is room to do much better!!

How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.