In a battle of all-stars, Brooklyn and its latest addition get the upper hand over Bucks
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Nets faced with brand new dynamic after adding James Harden
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A trio of league most valuable players and another trio of all-stars lived up to their resumes and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day prime-time billing on national television for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night in Brooklyn, and James Harden and Kevin Durant combined for what proved to be the winning shot in a 125-123 Nets victory.
The addition of Harden to the Nets last week created an additional buzz around the matchup of Eastern Conference favorites – even if Brooklyn’s all-star point guard, Kyrie Irving, was inactive – with the Bucks not shying away from the fact it would be a good litmus test.
It proved to be just that, as each team weathered lead changes, runs, and finally a tense final minutes that began when the Bucks took a 117-114 lead with 2 minutes 47 seconds to go. That was when Harden went to work.
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After two previous misfires on lob attempts, Harden finally connected with DeAndre Jordan for a dunk and hit a short jumper to give Brooklyn a 118-117 lead. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brooklyn’s Joe Harris and Khris Middleton traded baskets to once again tilt the scoreboard to Milwaukee’s favor at 123-122 with 55 seconds left, but Harden tracked down his own missed three and whipped it out to Durant who made his with 36.8 seconds left.
Middleton missed his own three, but the Bucks had a shot to tie or win the game in the final seconds after the ball slipped out of Durant’s hands with 3.8 seconds left. The Bucks felt like more time should have been put back on the clock, but in those final moments Middleton unleashed a step-back corner three over Bruce Brown, which rattled in and out as time expired.
Antetokounmpo (34 points), Middleton (25) and Holiday (22) combined for 81 points, 20 rebounds and 17 assists for the Bucks and Brook Lopez added 15 points. Donte DiVincenzo scored eight points on 3 of 9 shooting while the four-man Bucks bench scored 19 points. As a team, the Bucks shot 43.8% from the floor, including 29.7% from the three-point line.
On Brooklyn’s side, Harden (34 points, 12 assists), Durant (30 points, 9 rebounds 6 assists) and Jordan (12 points, 12 rebounds) held up their end of the bargain but shooters Harris and Jeff Green were a combined 9 for 12 from the three-point line and added 20 and 14 points, respectively. The Nets got just 15 points off their four-man bench, but they shot 54.8% as a team and made 15 of their 31 (48.4%) three-pointers.
The consistent shooting by the Nets mitigated 17 turnovers, which the Bucks turned into 18 points. And, it also prevented the Bucks from pulling down rebounds and getting out into the open court, as they had just eight fast-break points.
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The difference in the game came in spurts, and largely centered around whether or not Holiday was able to be on the court to harass Harden and, at times, Durant. In stretches when Holiday had to get a breather, Harden would take advantage of his quickness to get into the paint for floaters or kicking out to open shooters.
And, those shooters often knocked down their looks.
The Bucks did rally from an 11-point third quarter deficit after a pair of Durant free throws made it 87-76 with 4:39 to go in the quarter. They cut it to 94-89 at the start of the fourth quarter and finally took a lead on a Pat Connaughton three-pointer with 10:11 to go in the game following a victorious challenge over a foul and a DiVincenzo victory on a jump ball.
The Bucks wouldn’t lead again until Connaughton hit another three to make it 113-112, a lead they then extended to 117-114 to set up Harden and Durant’s late heroics.
Brooklyn led 57-56 at the end of the first half – which featured eight lead changes – off the strength of a 14-8 stretch over six minutes in the second quarter, which flipped a 42-41 Milwaukee lead to a 55-50 Nets advantage with 3 minutes, 20 seconds to go in the half. Harden and Durant scored eight points in that run and combined to score 22 points and hand out 11 assists in the opening half.
Harris and Green had 11 apiece and went a combined 6 for 6 from the three-point line to complement the two former MVPs.
Milwaukee was paced by Antetokounmpo (16 points, five rebounds), Middleton (14 points, three steals) and Holiday (seven points, three assists) but really stayed in the game thanks to scoring 14 points off 12 Brooklyn turnovers. The Bucks shot just 43.1% from the field and 21.1% from the three-point line in the first half.
The Bucks had taken a 34-28 first quarter lead in large part due to Holiday and Middleton, who scored or assisted on the last 16 points of the quarter for their team – which included a quarter-ending 9-0 run.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: In a battle of all-stars, Brooklyn and its latest addition get the upper hand over Bucks