Milwaukee’s season was on the line at the Fiserv Forum for Game 6 and they played with urgency from the start of Thursday’s game. The Bucks built a 13-point lead early on, but saw the Nets trim away at it thanks to James Harden, Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin. Harden was looking better than he did in Game 5, but the question was whether he could sustain that performance over four quarters.
The Bucks finished the first half shooting 51 percent from the field to propel themselves to a 59-48 lead. Giannis Antetokounmpo (19 PTS, 11 REBS) was the game’s leading scorer going in the third period, but it was Khris Middleton’s 17-point second quarter that kept the Nets at bay.
Harden (14 PTS, 4 ASTS) and Durant (13 PTS, 7 REBS) were the leading scorers for Brooklyn. The Nets’ eight turnovers were critical because it led to 13 transition points for Milwaukee. They had to take care of the ball heading into the second half.
In the third period, Brooklyn continued to struggle offensively, and were held to 19 points in the third quarter. Durant had 12 of those 19 points.
In the final period, the Nets got it down to a five-point game after Joe Harris’ first three of the night. It seemed like the momentum was finally with this team – until Middleton was fouled by Harris when shooting a three. After that, the Bucks began to dominate thanks to Middleton as he ended his night with a game-high of 38 points on 11-of-16 shooting. He helped push the lead to as many as 21 at one point.
Milwaukee took Game 6 104-89 to tie the series at 3-3. All eyes will be on Kyrie Irving’s status for Game 7 on Saturday and James Harden’s progression.
James Harden is looking better
James Harden looked more and more like himself in Game 6. After going only 1-of-10 from the field in Game 5, the Beard went 5-of-9 from the field to score 16 points. He also picked out four steals, which was the most for the Nets. Now that there is a Game 7, we know that James Harden will be a better and healthier version of himself as he continues to heal from this hamstring injury.
Turnovers led to fast break points for the Bucks
The Nets’ 16 turnovers led to 26 fast break points for the Bucks. This is exactly what is stressed in every team’s locker room before playing Milwaukee. You can’t give them opportunities in transition at all. You have to limit it because they are an excellent team when it comes to scoring on the break.
Where is Joe Harris?
Joe Harris scored nine points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field, a great clean up game from his 2-of-11 showing in Game 5. However, 1-of-4 from three, from the player that leads the league in catch and shoot threes and three point percentage isn’t good enough. This isn’t the Joe Harris we are used to, but a big part of this is because the Bucks’ length defensively when they close out. Harris needs to find a way to produce for the Nets before it’s too late.
1
1
