The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the host Brooklyn Nets, 111 - 93, at Barclay's Center on Thursday. These are two teams going in opposite directions and this result shows which way they're heading. The second half is when Milwaukee really turned it on, as they outscored Brooklyn, 59 - 42 in that 24 - minute span. Prior to that, there were 12 lead changes and six ties, as it was close throughout the first half. Defense was key for the Bucks, as they held the Nets to 38 percent from the field and 30 percent from three - point range. Milwaukee also dominated the paint, winning the rebounding battle 48 - 40 and recording 10 blocks in their win. Milwaukee (9 - 8) has now won four of their last five and much of that success has to be attributed to the play of Giannis Antetokounmpo. The man known as the "Greek Freak" flirted with a triple - double in this win, accumulating 23 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and four steals in just 29 minutes of action. In fact, he sat out the entirety of the fourth quarter, as the game continued to get out of hand. Jabari Parker was second on the team with his 22 points on 8 - of - 14 shooting. John Henson started at center, totaling 12 points, eight rebounds and five blocks. Malcolm Brogdon had a nice game off the bench, tallying 13 points, four rebounds and four assists. Brooklyn (5 - 13) has really struggled on defense this season and this blowout loss only adds to those troubles. Sean Kilpatrick continued his good play though, accruing 14 points, six rebounds and four assists as the starting point guard. Brook Lopez finished with just 15 points and four rebounds on 4 - of - 12 shooting. Trevor Booker amassed nine points, eight rebounds and two steals in the defeat. Joe Harris led the bench in scoring, dropping 11 points, four rebounds and three assists. These two teams will face each other again on Saturday, as they travel to Milwaukee for that fixture.
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