Rapid Recap: Bucks 116, Nets 91

On a downright fun Friday night, the Milwaukee Bucks took care of business against the Brooklyn Nets, 116-91.

This game had a collection of mini-storylines attached to it. It marked Giannis Antetokounmpo’s first game back from a brief hiatus, as well as his first game without Jason Kidd on the sidelines. It also marked Vin Baker’s assistant coaching debut (congratulations, Vin!), and the contest featured Sterling Brown less than 24 hours since his recent legal snafu.

The Bucks dominated in the first half, but gave up a 37-point third quarter to the Nets, starting the final period with a single-digit lead. The comeback was not in the cards, as the Bucks answered with a 35-point fourth quarter of their own, making this one of the more convincing wins on the season.

Giannis was absolutely spectacular during his time on the court, finishing the evening with 41 points (24 points in the first half), hit all 3 of his threes, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. What’s more is that Giannis only had to play 33 minutes in the game, which will help him stay fresh over the second half of the season.

Few NBA players get more attention than Giannis, and few Giannis plays got more attention than this slam to close the Bucks’ first half:

I mean it, people paid attention:

Not to be outdone, the rest of the Milwaukee squad also came to play. Khris Middleton continued his dalliance with jumper-heavy offense to the tune of 21 points (9/14 from the field). John Henson did a little bit of everything, ending the evening with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. Thon Maker contributed 11 points and 2 blocks off the bench, and Eric Bledsoe had his struggles but ended up with 14 points and 4 assists.

For Brooklyn, no player specifically stood out. D’Angelo Russell ended with 14 points but 7 turnovers, DeMarre Carroll produced 14 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, and Allen Crabbe added 13 points. Joe Harris pitched in 11 points, and rookie Jarrett Allen looked good with 12 points and 6 boards.

Stat That Stood Out

0:00 – the amount of time that the Nets were allowed to lead in this contest. With a long stretch of rest since their win against Phoenix and only a day until their matinee matchup against Chicago, a wire-to-wire win for this Bucks team can only keep the good times rolling as the franchise continues to move into this fresh part of the season.