Bucks Collapse in Brooklyn: Turnovers, Cold Shooting Doom Milwaukee in Blowout Loss
Whatever momentum the Milwaukee Bucks hoped to carry over from their upset win on Thursday vanished the moment they stepped onto the court against the Brooklyn Nets. Even without Giannis Antetokounmpo in the lineup, the expectation was that Milwaukee could handle a six-win Nets squad missing key scorer Cam Thomas. Instead, what unfolded was a 48-minute unraveling-a 45-point loss that never saw the Bucks lead, and rarely even threaten.
Let’s be clear: this wasn’t just a bad night. This was a complete breakdown on both ends of the floor, from tip-off to final buzzer.
First Quarter: Sloppy Start, Early Trouble
The game opened with both teams trading buckets, but not because of crisp offense-more so because of lackluster defense. Interior rotations were late, and both squads struggled to hang onto the ball in a fast-paced, chaotic opening stretch. When Egor Demin blew past Milwaukee’s transition defense for a layup that made it 17-12, Doc Rivers had seen enough and called timeout just over four minutes in.
Milwaukee’s defense briefly tightened up, and Kevin Porter Jr. took on the Michael Porter Jr. assignment, but the offense never found its footing. Turnovers and miscommunications piled up, and by the end of the quarter, the Nets had built a 12-point lead, 37-25.
Second Quarter: Turnovers Fuel Brooklyn Surge
If the first quarter was rough, the second was a disaster. Milwaukee turned the ball over on four of its first five possessions, and Brooklyn capitalized with an 8-2 run that ballooned the lead to 18. The Nets strung together a 26-10 extended run spanning the quarter break, punishing every lazy pass and missed rotation.
The Bucks couldn’t create clean looks, couldn’t protect the rim, and couldn’t stop fouling. There was a brief spark-Kyle Kuzma took control offensively during a 7-0 run that cut the deficit to 11-but that was as close as Milwaukee would get. The half ended with the Bucks down 65-48, and the body language said it all: frustration, confusion, and no sense of rhythm.
Third Quarter: Cold Shooting Meets Hot Nets
Milwaukee opened the third with a couple of promising possessions, but Brooklyn immediately responded, stretching the lead to 22 within minutes. Gary Trent Jr. and Ryan Rollins tried to inject some life from beyond the arc-after a first half that saw the Bucks hesitate far too often from deep-but it wasn’t enough.
Brooklyn, meanwhile, caught fire. The Nets shot 7-of-14 from three in the third quarter alone, and while Milwaukee managed to clean up some of the turnovers and interior defense that plagued them earlier, it didn’t matter.
The damage was done. The Nets led by as many as 29 and took a commanding 99-71 lead into the fourth.
Fourth Quarter: Bench Time and Blowout Territory
By the time the Nets pushed the lead to 32 with over nine minutes to play, Doc Rivers had seen enough. He emptied the bench, and Brooklyn didn’t let up.
The lead swelled to 45-where it ultimately stayed. It was a brutal, humbling finish for a Milwaukee team that had no answers on either end.
The Numbers That Tell the Story
The Bucks turned the ball over 17 times, and the Nets turned those miscues into 30 points. In contrast, Milwaukee managed just 12 points off Brooklyn’s turnovers. That 18-point difference in points off turnovers underscores just how damaging the Bucks’ carelessness was, especially during the second quarter, when they coughed it up six times and allowed eight points off those alone.
Brooklyn didn’t have a single player go off-Egor Demin led them with 17-but they didn’t need a star performance. They had balance, energy, and execution. Milwaukee, on the other hand, was led by Trent Jr.’s 20 points, but got little else in terms of efficient offense or composure.
What’s Next?
This one’s going to sting. Yes, Giannis was out, but that doesn’t excuse a 45-point loss to a bottom-tier team missing one of its top scorers.
The Bucks looked disjointed, unfocused, and completely outplayed. And with the East as competitive as it is, nights like this can’t become a trend.
They’ll need to regroup quickly-because performances like this don’t just get forgotten. They linger.