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The Brooklyn Nets were without James Harden in Game Two of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks, but in the end, it didn’t make any difference as the host team took control early and raced to a 125-86 win to claim a 2-0 win leading the best-of-seven series. .
Just like their respective performances in Game 1, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant were brilliant on the Nets as the All-Star duo combined 54 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds to lead Brooklyn to victory. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 18 points but his contributions weren’t enough to make this game look close.
With the win, Brooklyn takes all the momentum into Game 3 as the series is set to switch to Milwaukee. We’ll soon find out what Harden’s condition will be for that match, but after what we’ve seen over the course of the Nets’ victory in Brooklyn, it might not make much of a difference if the Bucks can’t work out where he is from issues.
Here are three main points from the game:
1. Nets cruise after jumping ahead early
The first game of the series was very competitive until the net kicked off in a big run at the end of the third quarter to pull out. This time around, the Nets didn’t even give the Bucks a chance to hang out. It took seven minutes and 49 seconds to build a double-digit lead.
Instead of making a response of its own, the pit broke out in Bucks. They were never able to reduce the deficit back to single digits, and by the end of the first quarter, the Nets were up 36-19. The sail was smooth the rest of the way for the nets, as they did what they wanted at the end of the attack.
Kevin Durant played another great game, finishing the match with 32 points, four rebounds and six assists on 12 of 18 off the field. Not that anyone does, really, but money has no answer for it. PJ Tucker is too slow, Jrue Holiday is too small, and even Giannis was lit with crosses and backflips. Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving scored 22 points, five rebounds and six assists, and the Nets shot 50 percent from a 3-point ground.
2. Nets set a three-point franchise break record
The biggest problem with trying to slow down the net is that it can beat you in many different ways. Durant, Irving and James Harden (when playing) are three of the top scorers in basketball. But if you try to send in too much assist to get the ball out of one of those three hands, the Nets have elite bowlers all over the field.
This wasn’t a great performance for the Bucks, but sometimes it really seems unstoppable, and Game 2 is the latest example. In addition to starting Durant and Irving, the Nets moved to 21 of 42 from a 3-point ground to set a new franchise record for making three-pointers in a playoff.
Led by Durant and Irving, who both hit fours, nine different players dropped at least one pointer with three pointers in the game. It’s not as though the Bucks can really expect the Nets to calm down moving forward either. The Bucks allowed opponents to shoot 38.4 percent of the 3-point ground in the regular season, which was the second worst player in the league, and most of the Nets’ 3-point attempts are wide open.
3. Dollars in serious trouble
With a few minutes remaining in the last quarter, the Bucks Twitter account sent a message saying, “It’s the best of the seven.” And yes, that’s right, the series isn’t over yet. However, even the most ardent supporters must admit at this point that the US dollar is in serious trouble.
Throughout the history of the NBA playoffs, 430 teams have found themselves in the position the Bucks are in: trailing 2-0 in the series. Only 28 of those teams managed to make a comeback, and none of them were playing in the 2021 Nets, who arguably have the largest pool of offensive talent ever assembled.
It would be one thing if the Bucks stood tall and lost a few close games down the road. They’ll still be in a tough spot, but you can at least talk to yourself if there’s an opportunity, especially with James Harden up in the air. Instead, they gave up after a rough start in Game 2, and this series felt like an end.
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