Anthony Bennett Shows Promise on the Glass in Loss to Bucks
Dec 3, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward John Henson (31) takes a shot against Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) in the second quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
The Brooklyn Nets faced the Milwaukee Bucks in the second game of their home-and-home stand. Despite a comeback in the second half, the Nets ran out of gas and lost, 112-103. Still, there were many positive things to take away from the loss.
The Brooklyn Nets visited Milwaukee late Saturday afternoon for their third and final matchup of the season. With last night’s loss, the Bucks finished the season series with the Nets, 3-0.
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Brooklyn was without Trevor Booker, who was out with an illness. Anthony Bennett started in Booker’s place, and this was only Bennett’s fourth career start. The Nets were also still without Jeremy Lin and Caris LeVert, and there is no timetable to either of their returns.
Like all afternoon games, both teams looked like they were sleepwalking early on. The Bucks were the first team to pick up the pace, as they outscored the Nets 25-18 in the second quarter to take a 50-40 lead at halftime.
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One of the most surprising things about the first half was that Brook Lopez could not find his shot. The 7-footer missed all of his first half field goal attempts, and only had one point on the scoreboard at halftime.
Things only looked like they would go even further south in the second half, since Brooklyn isn’t exactly known for having good third quarters. Fortunately, Sean Kilpatrick sparked a third quarter surge for the Nets, scoring 13 of the team’s 16 third quarter points. Kilpatrick also finished with a career-high in field goal attempts and made (11).
The Nets finally took the lead, 79-78, at the 10:34 mark in the fourth quarter. For the following few minutes, it appeared that the game would stay close and come down to the wire. However, Brooklyn’s offense was stagnant for nearly three minutes, which resulted in a 7-0 run for Milwaukee. The Bucks never looked back, and were able to pull out with the victory.
Bojan Bogdanovic led the Nets with 24 points, two rebounds, and three assists. Bennett landed a new career-high in rebounds, with 14.
On the Bucks, John Henson led the way with 20 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. Giannis Antetokounpo added 16 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and an astounding five blocks. Talk about a well-versed Bucks team.
Dec 3, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) gets pressure from Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker (12) and forward John Henson (31) in the fourth quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Takeaways
Despite the loss, these are mainly positive takeaways because the Nets displayed a decent second half for a change.
1) Hold up, the Nets had a good third quarter? But they still ran out of gas…
The Nets finally broke the “story book” of having a decent first half, horrible third quarter, then coming back from the dead in the fourth quarter. Maybe this can be attributed to the Nets having a not-so good first half, but still, this was only the second game Brooklyn actually held an advantage in third quarter scoring.
Sean Kilpatrick said prior to the game that the Nets’ third quarter woes occur for different reasons, as it appears to be a different scenario each game. It could be turnovers, lack of offensive punch, and so forth… but one thing is clear: lack of energy. The truth is that the Nets don’t have enough talent on the team that is capable of keeping them competitive for an entire four quarters. But hopefully this game’s third quarter outcome can spark a new trend for Brooklyn.
2) If the Nets need energy, they can always turn to Sean Kilpatrick
That third quarter surge would not have happened without Sean Kilpatrick. Period. He’s our savior. He’s the GOAT. As noted above, the Nets always seem to be lacking energy in the second half of games. But as Kilpatrick showed last night and in his 38-point performance against the Clippers, once he gets hot, he can get going. The 26-year-old finished the game with 19 points, with 11 of them coming from free throws and 13 coming from the third quarter. Talk about aggressiveness — Brooklyn was really lacking someone who could drive hard to the hole and draw the foul until Kilpatrick checked in.
Despite that, it’s still weird to see Kilpatrick in the starting lineup since he really doesn’t catch fire until the second half. Once Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is back in full swing and Kilpatrick resumes his normal role as sixth man, we can only expect to see Skilpatrick at his best.
3) Anthony Bennett, AKA Trevor Booker 2.0? Rebounding was NOT an issue last night!
When it was revealed that Anthony Bennett would start in place of the sick Trevor Booker, many Nets fans thought the game would be a goner even before it began. My biggest concern was: who would rebound for the Nets? After all, Booker is Brooklyn’s best rebounder. And despite having two 7-footers on the team, the Nets have struggled in rebounding since the season started.
Luckily, that question was answered early on. Bennett took down seven rebounds in the first quarter, which is impressive, considering that was half of his total in the entire game. Brooklyn and Milwaukee finished the game with 46 rebounds apiece. Being out-rebounded has been a trend for the Nets this season, so it’s good that they’re starting to break it (by tying with the opposition in rebounds, at least).
Dec 3, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives for the basket against Brooklyn Nets guard Bojan Bogdanovic (44) in the first quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Player of the Game
Bojan Bogdanovic
SG/SF, Brooklyn Nets
BBojan Bogdanovic was one of the only consistent players for the Nets in last night’s game. The Croatian led the team in scoring for essentially the whole game, and did a little bit of everything last night. Bogdanovic finished the game with 24 points on 8-of-17 shooting, which includes two three-pointers. The only black mark on his stats sheet is the three turnovers, but he showed up for Brooklyn last night.
Wildcards
It was between Kilpatrick and Bennett for Wildcard, but both contributed significantly to the Nets in different ways. So why not both?
Sean Kilpatrick
SG, Brooklyn Nets
B-Okay, who doesn’t love Sean Kilpatrick by now? Skilpatrick shows time and time again why he is the player who can provide a spark off the bench (although he has been starting as of late). Not only that though, his aggressiveness in the paint makes him the perfect embodiment of #BrooklynGrit. It’s no wonder he’s a fan favorite. Kilpatrick has started in the Nets’ last five games and has received huge overtime in minutes (in one game, literally). The Nets need him to step up to the plate more than ever, and he showed that he can last night.
Anthony Bennett
SF/PF, Brooklyn Nets
B-No Trevor Booker? No problem — at least not on the boards. The former No. 1 overall pick has not received much playing time for the Nets and has recently been spending time with the Long Island Nets, so it’s understandable that this was a surprise to many. But if he can keep up this tenacity on the glass and increase his production, then he just may see a full-time roster spot very soon.
Up Your Game, Please…
Brook Lopez
C, Brooklyn Nets
However, he doesn’t get a F because of the other ways he helped the team. There were at least three Brook Lopez to Bojan Bogdanovic sequences during the game, which was nice to see. Lopez dished out a total of six assists in the game. While random Nets appear to be filling in as interim playmaker while Jeremy Lin is still out, the Nets will definitely need Lopez to revert back to his normal production pronto.
With this loss, the Nets fall to 5-14 on the season. The Nets return home on Monday to host the Washington Wizards at the Barclays Center.
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