Fourth-quarter collapse derails Milwaukee in third straight game without Dame and Giannis
The Milwaukee Bucks lost just their second game in their previous six, dropping to 16-13 on the year in a 105-111 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Khris Middleton put up a strong effort with 21 points (12 in the fourth quarter), but a fourth-quarter meltdown allowed the Nets to sneak out a win on the road.
Game Recap
The shorthanded Bucks found themselves in a tight battle with the Nets. Noah Clowney was firing on all cylinders from beyond the arc, going 3/3 in the frame to keep the Nets in the lead for most of the quarter. The Nets lead only got as large as four points, but with a couple of Bucks buckets from Bobby Portis and a thunderous putback by Andre Jackson Jr, they tied it at 21-21 with 3:34 to go. After Gary Trent Jr. tied again it with a short midrange jumper, former Philadelphia 76er Shake Milton scored a floater off an offensive rebound with 0.1 seconds left to give Brooklyn a 27-25 lead going into quarter number two.
You need to see this angle of Dre’s dunk. https://t.co/jbXYYcEEeI pic.twitter.com/4qYJxOZsSE
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) December 27, 2024
After the Nets went up by four points again, the Bucks finally started hitting some of the open looks they were missing in the first quarter. From that moment, the Bucks went on a 13-2 run to take a 38-31 lead with 8:01 left. The tail end of that run sparked a fantastic sequence for Brook Lopez. Lopez, after swatting an alley-oop attempt, nailed three straight from beyond the arc, including a 32-footer. That barrage gave the Bucks an 11-point lead with 6:30 left, forcing a timeout from the Nets. Lopez would later block his second shot, putting him 20th all-time in blocks in NBA history. Milwaukee would push their lead to as many as 13 points before a layup from Nic Claxton and three free throws from Cam Johnson cut the Bucks lead down to single digits, 59-51.
Jackson showed off more of his high-flying athleticism in the third, throwing down a two-handed jam on the baseline, and drawing a foul in the process. Brooklyn would go on a 12-2 run to cut the Bucks lead back down to two points after Milwaukee led by two. The Bucks were able to respond with a Portis layup and a three-pointer from AJ Green off a no-look feed from Jackson to get the lead back up to seven. After the shooting spectacle that the second quarter was, the third dropped off for the Bucks, going 10/24, but they still held a six-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, 82-76.
If I had told you that Shake Milton, of all players in 2024, would give the Bucks a run for their money, you would have laughed in my face. However, that’s exactly what happened as Milton scored the first 14 points for Brooklyn in the first four minutes of play to cut the Bucks’ lead down to just one point, 93-92 with 7:06 left, forcing a timeout from Doc Rivers. Milwaukee did put a little distance between them and Brooklyn, but an elbow by Middleton in Cam Johnson’s face (who was crowding Middleton) determined to be a flagrant one foul led to a four-point swing for the Nets to bring them back within one. The Nets used a 7-0 run to retake the lead with 3:28 left, 99-97. Middleton did come back and tie the game at 99-99, but Clowney banked in a three, and a free throw from Claxton gave Brooklyn a four-point lead with 1:36 to go, 103-99. Middleton did his best to keep them within range to win but an and-one three from Cam Johnson with 48 seconds left all but ended any comeback hopes for the Bucks.
Stat That Stood Out
In a close game, any small edge will make the difference, and having Noah Clowney and Shake Milton go a combined 10/15 from three-point range when the rest of the Nets went 6/23 as a unit (those six coming from Cam and Keon Johnson) made all the difference in this one.
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