Photo via Twitter / Bucks
Just like that, we have a playoff series.
On Sunday, the matchup between the Bucks and Brooklyn Nets wasn’t truly a win-or-go-home scenario for Milwaukee, but it certainly felt like that. The series began with a pair of blowout losses in Brooklyn, followed by signs of confidence in the first game back at Fiserv Forum on Thursday night. With game five in Brooklyn looming, the Bucks needed to come away with a win before heading back to New York.
The early going was frantic, with the teams trading baskets and the lead, not necessarily making much headway in either direction. While it won’t go down in the box score, recent addition PJ Tucker provided much of the energy on the floor to motivate the Bucks. Tucker, who got in the face of Kevin Durant on Thursday night and previously told the media “we dogs” when asked about the makeup of the team, has become a welcome source of the intangibles for Milwaukee, in addition to his 13 points on Sunday.
While it’s never a welcome sight, a series win looked ever-so-slightly reachable for Milwaukee in the second quarter, when star point guard Kyrie Irving went down with a nasty sprained ankle. Irving is the second member of the Nets’ core of superstars to get hurt, as James Harden once again did not play on Sunday with hamstring issues. While X-rays came back negative, the loss of Irving and the questionable status of Harden for game five on Tuesday may give the Bucks an edge when they need it most.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
With two superstars down and the energy high in Fiserv Forum, the Bucks were able to capitalize when the game broke open. The Nets went on a 13-0 run to take a lead in the second quarter, but the Bucks responded with a 21-4 run of their own and never looked back after that. Milwaukee led the entire second half, punctuated with statement plays. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 34 points, but made a bigger impact with high-intensity dunks when Milwaukee needed a shot in the arm. Durant was the only Brooklyn player to score in double figures besides Irving, who added 11 points before getting injured. Milwaukee had five scorers of 10 or more points in the 107-96 win.,
All eyes are on Tuesday night now, with game five having a much different feel than the two games in Milwaukee that preceded it. While the Nets had commanding wins in Barclays Center to start the series, the Bucks proved to be successful in grittier contests to tie things up. The added wrinkle of possibly missing two of Brooklyn’s stars puts even more drama into a playoff series that didn’t really need it to be attractive to basketball fans.
You can catch game five of the Bucks vs. Brooklyn Nets series at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday night, airing on TNT nationally. Game six will emanate from Brooklyn at the same time on Thursday night, with the broadcast on ESPN. A lively crowd gathered at the Deer District outside of Fiserv Forum on Sunday, and fans are encouraged to watch the road games there as well. You can find protocols and watch party information on the Deer District website.
