Brooklyn Nets Catch Fire in Fourth to Surge Past Bucks

The Brooklyn Nets used a big fourth quarter to blaze past the Antetokounmpo-less Bucks.

Dec 26, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton (22) passes the ball as Brooklyn Nets guard Keon Johnson (45) defends during the first quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Against the Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard-less Milwaukee Bucks, the Brooklyn Nets found a fourth-quarter surge to cement a 111-105 win, snapping a two-game skid.

On a jump ball with 1.5 seconds left on the shot clock, second-year forward Noah Clowney would heave a prayer towards the rim, making it to push his total to 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting. For the Bucks, it signified it was simply Clowney’s night. The bucket would make it 102-99, and from there Keon Johnson and Cameron Johnson would hit buckets in succession to make the lead insurmountable. The Nets would scored 35 points in the final frame.

Cameron Johnson, Clowney and guard Shake Milton were the trio to drive the Nets past Milwaukee. Johnson would lead with 29 points on 8-for-13 shooting, with the other two scoring 20 apiece with timely buckets aplenty.

The first quarter was a competitive one, with the team’s trading blow-for-blow throughout. Milton saw a four-point run near the end of the game to put the Nets ahead by two, 27-25, entering the second. To that point, Clowney led the way with nine points on perfect shooting.

The Bucks made their run in the second quarter with a Brook Lopez-fueled run. Mid-way through, he would rain down three-straight 3-pointers to push his total to 18 points on 7-for-8 shooting. Not necessarily known for purely elite scoring, Lopez’ self-run was a death-blow for Brooklyn, who quickly found themselves down 11, forcing a timeout.

In the third, the Nets tried their best to mount a comeback, scoring a few timely buckets, but were unable to get past arm’s reach.

In the final frame, the Nets made their move, closing the gap to just one behind a Milton 3-pointer, who capped off 14-straight points. With just four minutes to go in the game, Keon Johnson would hit a crucial triple to put the team ahead for the first time in the second half, forcing a Doc Rivers timeout.

The guard-play has taken an obvious dive since the trading of Dennis Schroder to the Golden State Warriors just four games ago, but the roster stepped up in Thursday night's bout.

The Nets will look to build on their winning streak with a game against white-hot Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, Dec. 27.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Nets on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Nets news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.