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Tyson Etienne hits six 3s for career-high 23 points, but Nets fall in Milwaukee
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- Tyson Etienne hits six 3s for career-high 23 points, but Nets fall in Milwaukee
Tyson Etienne gave the Nets a reason to believe, at least for a quarter. Milwaukee Bucks gave them too many 3s to survive.
Etienne erupted for 15 points and four 3-pointers in the opening quarter Friday night at Fiserv Forum, his most points in any quarter or half, and finished with a career-high 23 points and six 3-pointers. It still wasn't enough. The Nets fell to the Milwaukee Bucks, 125-108, dropping to 20-61 in their penultimate game of the season.
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AJ Green was unconscious, finishing with 35 points and 11 treys, and Cormac Ryan added 28 points and five triples.
Brooklyn came in with nine available players again, a night after a 123-94 loss to the Indiana Pacers at Barclays Center. The Nets were without Nic Claxton , Noah Clowney , Egor Dëmin , Terance Mann , Josh Minott , Michael Porter Jr. , Drake Powell , Day'Ron Sharpe, Ziaire Williams and Danny Wolf . The Bucks, tied for ninth in the lottery standings entering the night, were down seven bodies, most notably Giannis Antetokounmpo , but they did start Myles Turner .
The difference came down to shot-making. Milwaukee shot 55.6% and made 24 3-pointers.
Etienne was the one thing Brooklyn had going early. Milwaukee led 38-24 after one, and it would've been worse if Etienne hadn't come out swinging. He had 15 of Brooklyn's 24 points in the quarter. No other Net scored more than five. On the other end, Ryan was already sitting on 18 points.
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Brooklyn did respond. The Nets stayed connected in the second quarter by doing the only thing they could do against a team raining jumpers, making their own. Brooklyn cut the deficit to 60-52 with 2:12 left in the first half while going 6 for 10 from 3-point range in the period. Malachi Smith hit two, Ben Saraf hit two, and E.J. Liddell and Jalen Wilson each hit one.
By halftime, the Nets had at least given themselves a chance. They trailed 66-54, with Etienne still on 15 points and Nolan Traoré already in double figures with 11 after not playing Thursday against Indiana. Ryan led all scorers with 21 points, powering a 59.5% shooting first half for Milwaukee.
The third quarter was the swing. Milwaukee made eight more 3-pointers in the period, won it 33-30, and took a 99-84 lead into the fourth. The Nets still kept playing, and somehow they were within 12 with 11:48 left, even after the Bucks had spent the quarter firing from deep.
However, about a minute later, Liddell was ejected for giving Jericho Sims a forearm to the face during an altercation. Milwaukee immediately ran off an 8-0 burst, pushed the lead back to 20, and closed from there to secure its 32nd win.
The Nets remain in third in the lottery standings with one game left. They must lose their finale against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday to maintain sole possession of third place.
