MILWAUKEE, Wis. (AP) – The Brooklyn Nets-Milwaukee Bucks series, which featured the NBA’s two highest-scoring offenses, was the most anticipated second-round showdown.
So yet, there has been no competition.
Brooklyn has been every bit as effective as expected in taking a 2-0 lead. However, the struggling Bucks scored their fewest points of the season in a 125-86 Game 2 loss.The Bucks’ prospects of making this a competitive series hinge on their ability to return home and recover the form they displayed prior to these last two games.
“I think they have a great track record and history of playing well and responding,” said Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer on Wednesday. “We talked about how your character is tested.”
In the regular season, the Bucks have a great track record. They had the best regular-season record in the league in 2018-19 and 2019-20 before finishing third in the Eastern Conference this season.
However, unless they rapidly turn things around, they face a second consecutive second-round playoff exit. The Bucks face the Nets in Game 3 of the playoffs on Thursday, while the Utah Jazz look to grab a 2-0 lead over the Los Angeles Clippers.
“This is going to be a really tough game,” stated Nets coach Steve Nash. “In Game 3, we’ll see what Milwaukee has to offer.” We need to be prepared for that and be ready to charge out of the gate.”
Brooklyn entered the playoffs as an attacking juggernaut with some questions about its defense. The Nets, on the other hand, have spent the first two games of this series shutting down Milwaukee’s potent offense.
The Bucks were the first team since the 1984-85 Denver Nuggets to finish a regular season averaging at least 120 points per game, but their offense has been a shell of its former self thus far in this series. The Bucks’ defense has been thrown off by Brooklyn’s frequent switching.
The first two games have been intense,” Bucks forward P.J. Tucker said of the Nets. “I think they’ve been all over the place, both offensively and defensively.” I believe they simply had a slight advantage over us.”
NEED TO KNOW: The Nets are coming off their biggest lopsided playoff win in team history, and they have a chance to go up 3-0. In this duel of previous MVPs, Kevin Durant has outperformed Giannis Antetokounmpo thus far, but the most noticeable difference in this series is 3-point shooting. The Nets have made 36 of 81 (34.4%) 3-point shots. The Bucks rank 14th out of 57 teams (24.6%).
— KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR: Brooklyn Nets forward Blake Griffin. This series, the 32-year-old is averaging a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) and has done a good job of stopping Antetokounmpo, who averaged 39.7 points against Brooklyn in the regular season but only scored 18 points in Game 2.
INJURY WATCH: Nash stated that James Harden and Jeff Green of the Brooklyn Nets will not play in Game 3. Harden departed Game 1 with right hamstring soreness in the first minute and hasn’t played since. Green has not played in this series because of a plantar fascia strain.
— THE PRESSURE IS ON: Milwaukee Bucks player Khris Middleton. This series, the two-time All-Star has shot 13 of 43 overall and 3 of 13 from 3-point range. Despite scoring 17 points in Game 2, Middleton missed his first eight shots and most of his contributions came after the game was already out of reach. Middleton scored at least 23 points in all three of the Bucks’ regular-season meetings with the Nets.
Donovan Mitchell overcame illness to score 45 points in Utah’s 112-109 Game 1 victory. The Clippers played Game 1 just two nights after surviving a Game 7 first-round triumph over Dallas, and they now have only one day of rest before Game 2. The Clippers defeated Dallas after dropping the first two games of the series, but they would like not to have to dig themselves out of a 2-0 hole again.
— WATCH OUT FOR: Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic. His 18-point outburst in Game 1 demonstrated his ability to shoot from beyond the arc. In his last four games, Bogdanovic has shot 11 of 20 from beyond the arc. During the postseason, he is averaging 22 points per game.
INJURY WATCH: Jazz guard Mike Conley (right hamstring strain) and Clippers forward Serge Ibaka (back spasms) both missed Game 1 due to injuries.
Clippers forward Paul George is under pressure. Despite scoring 20 points in Game 1, George shot just 4 of 17 and was 1 of 9 on two-point attempts. George has scored at least 20 points in each of his eight postseason games this season, but he is only 9 of 32 in his last two.
“The truth is that I didn’t shoot the ball well tonight,” George admitted after Game 1. “However, I’ll take a different approach.” I thought I was simply being indecisive in my approach, but I’ll be a little better at getting and capturing the images I want.”
