Nets Top Bucks in Triple Overtime Thriller
In November, the meeting between the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets resulted in a triple overtime loss for the Nets.
This time it took three overtimes for Brook Lopez to lead the Nets to a 129-127 victory. The Brooklyn Nets entered tonight as the only team in the NBA with a better record on the road than at home.
Jason Kidd was welcomed back to Brooklyn with some light boos in his second time visiting the Barclays Center after leaving to coach the Bucks. The Milwaukee Bucks were playing without Jared Dudley, O.J. Mayo and Jabari Parker.
At the half, the Bucks lead by ten, 68-58. They extended their lead at the start of the third quarter before the Nets went on a 15-4 run cutting the lead to just five to end the quarter. Nets tied the game at 101 with 1:19 to play. Antetokounmpo missed a fade-away two pointer with 4 seconds left but tied the game in overtime at 111 giving the Nets 15 seconds to work with. Joe Johnson failed to convert a shot, as the Nets entered yet another overtime. Lopez put the team on his back in the third overtime, opening the quarter with a posturizing dunk on Ersan Ilyasova, as the Nets took the lead and never looked back.
Brook Lopez scored 32 points and added a season-high 18 rebounds. Lopez recorded his first game with 30+ points and 15+ rebounds. Thaddeus Young chipped in with 24 points and 5 rebounds. The Nets had four other players with double digit scoring: Alan Anderson, Jarrett Jack, Bojan Bogdanovic and Joe Johnson.
The Bucks had a balanced attack with all five starters (Michael Carter-Williams, Zaza Pachulia, Khris Middleton, Ersan Ilyasova and Giannis Antetokounmpo) with double-digit scoring. The Bucks grabbed a season-high 37 rebounds (the highest number of offensive rebounds by an opponent of the Nets).
The Nets will now face the Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, and Charlotte Hornets, as they look to make a late push to the playoffs.