Brooklyn Nets vs. Milwaukee Bucks
7:30 p.m. Barclays Center
TV: YES Network
Sean Kilpatrick has set the tone for the Brooklyn Nets over the past two games.
After taking a flagrant foul from Sacramento’s Matt Barnes on Sunday, Kilpatrick showed off his killer instinct and gritty resiliency, and the Nets followed, using that fire as part of a 14-2 run. They didn’t win that game, but they made it one down the stretch.
Then on Tuesday night, Kilpatrick single-handedly orchestrated a dramatic Nets comeback, scoring 20 fourth-quarter points – part of a career-high 38 – erasing a 16-point deficit and getting the Nets to overtime.
With 52 NBA games under his belt, Kilpatrick is relatively inexperienced, but he’s quickly becoming an emotional leader for the Nets.
“He is an emotional competitor,” Coach Kenny Atkinson said. “I have said that since training camp. There are guys that are competitors and then there are guys that love – he really enjoys the competition. Whatever we are doing in practice, whether it is walkthrough, he is just a competitive guy and we are lucky to have him.”
His 100% hustle gives him the credibility to demand more of his teammates and his offensive ability gives him the credibility to get the ball late in games.
“I just obviously have tremendous confidence in him,” Brook Lopez said on Tuesday. “That’s the kind of player and kind of scorer he is, and when he gets going there’s not many people who can stop him. He was just being great, being aggressive, attacking the basket and finding the right guys.”
Kilpatrick is averaging 20.4 ppg over his last five games, his 38-point night offset by a three-point night against Portland. But the constant, whether he’s scoring three or 38, is his effort and emotional engagement.
Nets Look For Two in a Row:
The Nets go for their second straight win after snapping out of a seven-game losing streak on Wednesday night.
To do so, they’ll have to get through the suddenly-hot Milwaukee Bucks, who have won three of their last four games, including a 118-101 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday.
The Nets lost to the Bucks 110-108 on a buzzer beater on Oct. 29. The Nets played that game without Brook Lopez – who stayed in Brooklyn to rest – so they’ll have the 7-foot difference maker in the lineup this time, though they’ll be without Jeremy Lin who’s sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the Bucks with 22.8 ppg on the season, but over his last five, he’s averaging 26.4 along with 8.2 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.8 blocks. The Greek Freak does it all for the Bucks and is their most dangerous player.