Nets at Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks spent Thursday night rolling over head coach Jason Kidd's former team on the road en route to their third straight impressive victory. The Bucks will try to make it four in a row when they host the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday to complete the home-and-home set.
Milwaukee's run of strong play stretches six games to include four wins and tight losses to Golden State and Toronto, and it put everything together at both ends in the easy 111-93 triumph on Thursday. "We got the ball moving," Kidd told reporters in reference to a key stretch in the third quarter that turned the game. "But it all starts with our defense. We got stops and we got it in the open court." Nets coach Kenny Atkinson, whose team suffered a big letdown after a double-overtime triumph over the Los Angeles Clippers in the previous game, bemoaned Brooklyn's inability to put points on the board. "We couldn't pierce their defense," Atkinson told reporters. "They kept us in front and they would switch and keep you on the perimeter. ... They were tough to score against (Thursday)."
TV: 5 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
ABOUT THE NETS (5-13): Brooklyn shot 38.2 percent from the floor and drained 12-of-40 from beyond the arc on Thursday, giving up 26 points on 18 turnovers. Shooting guard Sean Kilpatrick, who exploded in the fourth quarter and overtime to finish with 34 points and 14 rebounds in Tuesday's win over the Clippers, never found room to go off on Thursday. The Cincinnati product was 5-of-10 from the floor and totaled 14 points, six rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes but committed six turnovers.
ABOUT THE BUCKS (9-8): Milwaukee was once again led by small forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who collected 23 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, four steals and two blocks in 30 minutes before taking a seat for the fourth quarter. The bench had no trouble keeping the large gap and held the Nets to 15 points in the fourth quarter. "Coming out to Brooklyn, we had to get the starters some rest," forward Mirza Teletovic, who scored nine points in the fourth, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "That's one thing the Milwaukee Bucks have is a long bench, and everybody who comes in contributes and helps the team out."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Nets are reportedly close to signing restricted free agent F Donatas Motiejunas to an offer sheet.
2. Milwaukee reserve SG Malcolm Brogdon is 16-of-27 from the field in the last four games.
3. Brooklyn owner Mikhail Prokhorov is selling a minority stake in the team.