Netw came to Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference. After being swept by the Bucks in a two-game series, they remained close to third place in the first place.
They blew a fourth-quarter lead and were trapped in a 124–118 loss before the 3,280-selling crowd at the Fisher Forum. And it can be an expensive necklace.
The Bucks (41-24) looked hungry. Atheistic. And – James Harden is still out with a right hamstring strain – Milwaukee looked better.
Kyrie Irving added a game-high 38 points and Kevin Durant added 32. But Giannis Antetokonampo scored 36 for the Bucks, who rounded the Nets at the Glas- 55-39 and left the game with an 18-1 fourth quarter.
After finishing first in the East, a half game ahead of the 76ers, the Nets (43-23) lost on Sunday and Tuesday. Not only have they fallen 1 behind the defunct Philadelphia 1 game, but they are still just 1 1 clear of a hard charge.
The Nets have also lost the season-series tiebreaker to Milwaukee and are sitting just one game ahead in the losing column, so the second seed is also not sure of a catch. The easiest stretch in the entire NBA is not with Philadelphia to enjoy the run, and Milwaukee is the fourth-softest in the East on Tuesday.
The net may well come to sue it. They started 103–97 in the fourth quarter, only to surrender the game 18–1.
The Nets were 0-for-5 with a few turns during the skate, which lasted over four minutes. Milwaukee, meanwhile, went 14 for eight, including a very easy drive by Khris Middleton (23 contests).
Middleton’s driving floater came with no defensive resistance, making the Nets’ deficit 115-104 with 5:52 to play.
The 10–3 Nets eventually reduced the deficit to 122–118 on a free throw by Irving for a minute. But they did not get any closer.
While a lot can happen between now and the regular-season finale, the Nets and Bucks are on a collision course to meet in the second round.
The Nets won the first meeting, January 18 at the Barclays Center. However, he was behind 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists from Harden, the third MVP on these teams’ roster (after Durant and Antetokenmpo), and one who could keep the Nets leaning toward them. They hope
Hardik was badly missed in these last two defeats.
Irving’s pull-up 3-pointer gave the Nets a 51-48 lead with 6:15 left in the second quarter, but he went 18-7 and closed out half of the eight.
It was clocked at 55-all after a Landry Shame 3-pointer with 4:02 remaining before the break. But the nets suddenly cooled off the ice and gave up the momentum.
The Nets missed six straight shots and made some changes to win nine unanswered points.
Irving’s turnover from an inbound pass resulted in a Bobby Portis infection sting. And Middleton’s free throw left the Nets in a 64-55 hole that proved too deep to get out.
They went three minutes without a point, and 3:34 without a basket, until Irving’s layoff was halved with 28.5 seconds left in the half. That drought cost them dearly.
It may not be clear how much it costs until the regular season is over and the playoff seeds are determined.
The Nets still trailed 78–68 after a Junior Holiday 3-pointer with 6:55 to go in the third quarter. But after going big to start the game, unsuccessfully, the Nets became smaller and had at least little success. A shot from Irving Banks found the score 10-3 within 81 minutes.
With an antetokenempo finger roll following a down5-finger after 2:51 remaining in the third, the Nets closed the period on a 14-on bounce. Bruce Brown came in and brought some much-needed grit, and the game was almost immediately chipier.
Durant hit a 3-pointer to put the Nets ahead 89-88, and he became involved in a long-running garbage discussion with PJ Tucker, who was a multiple asset. Blake Griffin got hit with a technical and the Nets went 94–92 after three.
Irving and Durant both sat down to open the fourth, but Mike James found Jeff Green first, then gave Griffin a 100-95 lead for the corner 3s. He hit his own side-step 3-pointer to make it 103–97. But it was a lead that the Nets could not hold.
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