The end to the game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks was like a movie with John Henson the star as his buzzer-beating putback handed his team the 110-108 home win.
The Brooklyn Nets attempted another fourth-quarter comeback on Saturday night, but fell short, losing to the Milwaukee Bucks on a last-second bucket at BMO Harris Bradley Center.
Bojan Bogdanovic hit a game-tying three-pointer with 11.6 to play, making it 108-108, but instead of overtime, the Nets left with heartbreak. Jabari Parker’s last drive didn’t drop, but John Henson followed up with a putback as time expired, the ball bouncing twice on the rim and falling in just as the buzzer sounded.
“It’s a tough play,” Jeremy Lin said. “It’s tough to really predict how the ball is going to come off the glass or the rim and it came off a little faster than we all expected it to.
Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to impress and again showed his variety of skils as he had 21 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.
The Bucks lead 80-73 entering the fourth, the Nets showed their moxie, battling back to force the late-game showdown. The Nets, who scored 31 and 36 in their last two fourth quarters respectively, outscored Milwaukee 35-30 in the final period and even had a 91-90 lead off a Luis Scola three-pointer. The Nets also took advantage of Milwaukee’s fouling, getting to the stripe 11 times in the fourth.
“One thing I really respect about this group is that we just play. We play hard and we just keep playing,” Lin said. “I know we dropped the game tonight, but I know this is the first step that you need if you want to get where you want to go as a team or organization.”
Bogdanovic’s late three was a part of his game-high 26 points – with 12 in the fourth – as the Croatian guard shot 9-of-15 from the field, 2-of-6 from deep and had a big dunk on 6’11 Giannis Antetokounmpo. Trevor Booker had 14 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, while Jeremy Lin had 12 points and a team-high 10 assists. Sean Kilpatrick (15) and Luis Scola (14) also scored double-digits.
“We’re having different guys contribute,” Coach Kenny Atkinson said. “I thought Luis did a good job tonight. Bojan had a pretty big game tonight, so it’s nice to see different guys contributing and really grinding.”
Booker’s night was his second straight double-double and the Nets’ forward showed his grit, briefly leaving the game after falling hard, but returning for Brooklyn down the stretch. Booker played a key role in the fourth quarter, with seven points and six boards.
Rashad Vaughn had a team-high 22 points for Milwaukee and was a factor from three, going 6-of-12 from deep, including 3-of-4 in the fourth.
“We wanted to take away the paint and their strength is getting to the paint,” Atkinson said. “We really packed it in and was really the X factor. He came in and hit some big shots.”
Brook Lopez missed Saturday’s game, staying in New York while the team travelled to Milwaukee. Greivis Vasquez left the game at halftime with a sore right ankle and did not return.
The Nets return to Brooklyn on Monday night when they host the Chicago Bulls.
By Demetris Sapp
First appeared on NBA.com Global
