Nets vs. Bucks takeaways: Kyrie Irving scores season-high 38 points as Brooklyn rallies past Giannis and Co.

With Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons sidelined, the Saturday night primetime matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets seemed like it might be a let down. But in a roundabout way it ended up being the type of game everyone was hoping for, as the Nets escaped with a 126-123 victory. 

After the Bucks held a modest advantage for most of the first half, the Nets surged in front with a dominant third quarter and briefly built a 13-point lead. But thanks to Bobby Portis, the Bucks got right back in the game, which set up a fantastic finish. In the closing minutes, Bruce Brown hit a 3-pointer to put the Nets in front, and they held on the rest of the way thanks to a big block by James Johnson and a bit of luck — Giannis Antetokounmpo’s potential game-tying 3-pointer rimmed out at the buzzer.

Kyrie Irving led the way for the Nets with a season-high 38 points, five rebounds and five assists in his first game in Milwaukee since he was injured in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals last season. Bobby Portis hit eight 3s and finished with 30 points and 12 rebounds for the Bucks, while Giannis went for 29 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. 

Here are some key takeaways from the game:

Irving shines in solo act

Kyrie Irving received some potentially good news earlier this week, when New York City mayor Eric Adams announced that he’s looking forward to rescinding the mask and vaccine mandates. When (or if) that comes to pass, Irving would finally be allowed to play home games for the Nets at Barclays Center. 

For now, though, he’s still only playing in select road games. Because of that, and the recent All-Star break, Saturday night was the first game for Irving in two weeks. It will also be the last time he plays until March 6 barring any abrupt changes to the mandates. Such sporadic appearances obviously aren’t ideal for anyone involved, but Irving’s brilliant performance against the Bucks showed why the Nets are willing to take whatever they can get. 

His pure skill and ability with the basketball in his hands are unmatched; he creates and makes shots other players could not replicate even if they had the imagination to attempt them. Those gifts were on full display against the Bucks. With Durant and Simmons still out, Irving delivered in a major way, pouring in 38 points on 14 of 26 from the field to get the Nets an important win. 

“You know what you can expect from Kyrie,” Khris Middleton said. “He’s a hell of a basketball player who does so many things as far as putting pressure on your defense. Scoring, hitting tough shots, creating shots for other guys, and he did that tonight.”

Bucks too sloppy

The Bucks were at home, had their entire big three and were facing an extremely shorthanded Nets team that had lost 13 of its last 15 games, so all signs pointed to a potential blowout. And when the Bucks jumped out to an early eight-point lead, it looked like just a matter of time until they pulled away. 

That didn’t happen, and while the Nets deserve a lot of credit for the way they played, the result was in large part due to the Bucks’ sloppy play on both sides of the ball. They turned the ball over 15 times, leading to 27 points for the Nets; shot 25 of 38 from the free throw line (tied for the most free throws they’ve missed in a game this season); and gave up 12 offensive rebounds, which the Nets turned into 19 second-chance points. 

The third quarter, which has been a problem for the Bucks all season, was particularly brutal. They gave up 43 points in the frame, turned the ball over five times and missed five free throws. 

“We can be sharper, we can be better,” Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said. “I think it was more the third quarter, it was more the turnovers. That’s where we gotta start being better for the four quarters. And in close games we gotta execute better down the stretch.”

And, of course, the missed free throws down the stretch couldn’t be ignored. Most notably, Grayson Allen was fouled on a 3-pointer with 14.6 seconds left, and stepped to the line with a chance to tie the game. He made just two of the three free throws, however, which the Bucks were never able to recover from.  

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t necessarily think we can shoot that bad,” Middleton said. “I think it was 11 we left on the board, maybe more. Thirteen, yeah. That’s 13 points we left on the board. Just one of those nights we couldn’t knock it down.”