The conference semifinals are officially underway! Let’s examine the key reasons behind last night’s final score.
Brooklyn Nets 115, Milwaukee Bucks 107
Nets lead series 1-0
The conference semifinals tipped off on Saturday with a fast-paced battle between two East heavyweights. This game clocked in at a pace of 104.5, the fastest game either team has played this postseason.
Sadly, this exciting matchup was marred when James Harden left the game 43 seconds in. He had re-injured his right hamstring, the same one that had sidelined him for 21 games late in the season. He left the arena to go get a MRI on the injury, and there isn’t a timetable yet for how long he will be out.
It’s pretty heartbreaking to see Harden sustain this injury again. This was just the 14th game this year (season and playoffs) that the Big Three of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Harden had been on the floor together. I was really hoping to see the Nets compete at full strength against Giannis and this highly-talented Bucks squad. We’ll see in the coming days if that is still a possibility. However, I hope James Harden has a strong, speedy recovery, no matter what the case.
In the interim, it’s next man up. Entering the year, Durant and Irving were poised to lead this Nets team as a star duo anyway. Still having them healthy still gives Brooklyn a great chance in this series and to compete for the title. They emphasized that reality by securing a double-digit margin of victory and leading by as many as 19 points late in the fourth quarter.
The biggest key to Brooklyn’s win is the fact that they outscored Milwaukee 45-18 from the 3-point line. Durant and Irving also came up big, combining for 54 points. They received great assistance from starters Joe Harris (19) and Blake Griffin (18 points, 14 rebounds, four three-pointers, and two steals). In fact, Griffin played so well, some Pistons fans on social media wondered where this energy was earlier this season when he was with the Detroit Pistons!
Milwaukee, meanwhile, also put in a solid effort. While Brooklyn ran the perimeter, they controlled the interior. The Bucks outscored the Nets 72-48 in the paint and 20-4 on second chance points. However, despite their dominance, their woes beyond the arc were just too much to sustain. Milwaukee shot an unpleasant 6-of-30 (20.0 percent) from 3-point range. If just a few more treys fell for them, this game could have easily turned in their favor.
Giannis Antetokounmpo paced his team with a game-high 34 points on 66.7 percent shooting. He also added 11 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks to his ledger. Unfortunately, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday weren’t as sound offensively. Middleton had just 13 points on 26.1 percent shooting (including 0-of-5 on 3-pointers), while Holiday scored 17 points on 36.8 percent shooting. Even sharpshooter Bryn Forbes, who played so well in the first round that he outscored Jimmy Butler in total points in the series, was 2-of-8 (25.0 percent) from the field.
In order for Milwaukee to compete with Brooklyn’s firepower, it’s important for the Bucks’ own star trio of Giannis, Middleton, and Holiday to be solid on offense as well. Even with Harden out, you can’t lose step with a team like the Nets that can score at will. If they can find some cohesion between now and Game 2, I could definitely see Milwaukee tying this series up on Monday.
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