MILWAUKEE – The Nets (18-30) enter the third game of their four-city trip hoping to change their recent fortunes against the Bucks (24-22).
Brooklyn currently has an eight-game losing streak against Milwaukee, with their last win coming almost three years ago – a triple-overtime victory at Barclays Center on March 20, 2015. Ending that run could be huge for Kenny Atkinson’s side as it would mean his team has won three of its last four games and would push the total victories for January to six – which would be the highest of any month this season so far.
Brooklyn faces a tough challenge at the Bradley Center, namely Giannis Antetokounmpo. The “Greek Freak” is having an MVP-caliber season in his fifth-year in the league. He’s second in the league in scoring (28.2) and leads the Bucks in rebounding (10.1) and assists (4.6). But he isn’t the only threat on Milwaukee’s roster. Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe, Malcolm Brodgon are paired together as a lethal perimeter trio.
Still, despite their obvious talent, the Bucks have struggled to gel all season – a factor might have played a role in the firing of head coach Jason Kidd. The team is currently led on an interim basis by Joe Prunty.
Here are Three Things to Watch For in Friday’s Game:
Key Matchup: Hollis-Jefferson vs. Antetokounmpo
Once again, Hollis-Jefferson draws the toughest assignment of the night. The third-year forward explains Antetokounmpo���s versatility is what makes him hard to guard.
“It puts him up there as one of the toughest covers for me,” Hollis-Jefferson explained at Thursday’s practice. “Just because how athletic he is, how long he is and how skilled he is on top of all of that. High IQ. I would say he’s definitely up there on the top of the people I cover.”
Hollis-Jefferson explained that the Nets’ strategy of defending the Bucks’ star is to force him to take low percentage midrange and behind-the-arc shots.
“He can make a three, but we’d rather him instead of going full speed at us in transition or whatever, we’d rather him shoot a pull up or a contested three-pointer,” he said.
He added, “In transition, that’s where he gets going and thriving. His energy – he gets a Eurostep dunk and his team gets amped, it gets the momentum going. We can limit those. He may get one or whatever the case may be but instead of him getting multiple [attempts] a quarter, we’ll try to limit that. Then I feel like we’ll be good.”
Atkinson agreed with Hollis-Jefferson’s assessment that Antetokounmpo is one of the hardest players to gameplan for and revealed he’s considering multiple defensive looks against the Bucks star. Hollis-Jefferson will start on Antetokounmpo, but DeMarre Carroll and even Jarrett Allen could be utilized.
“LeBron is the same way. They can both handle and they can be a five [a center] for a stretch and set screens and they can be a one [a point guard],” Atkinson said. “You call a timeout and all of the sudden, he’s [Giannis] handling it. You really have to have versatile defenders.”
Antetokounmpo returns to action after being sidelined for the past two games with injury. He’s averaged 17.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists in 14 career appearances against the Nets.
Don’t Forget About Bledsoe
Bledsoe has been in a shooting slump over his past five games, averaging 15 points while hitting just 33 percent on field goals – including a paltry 16 percent from behind the arc. However, he remains a terror in the passing lanes as he’s averaged three steals per game in that span. The Bucks point guard leads the NBA in that mark with 2.2 swipes per game.
That could be an issue for the Nets, who have struggled with turnovers recently. Brooklyn is in the bottom sixth in the league in that area, giving away the ball 15.7 times per game. It’s area that cost the team dearly in its loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday as the Thunder used it to rally back from a 13-point deficit. Yet Bledsoe’s defense isn’t the only thing to worry about.
The 28-year-old is a streaky player offensively. If he gets going early, there could be problems.
“We know Bledsoe, he’s no ‘oh where did he come from’ [type of player], he can play basketball,” Hollis-Jefferson said. “He can score the ball, he’s quick, he’s aggressive. “
Can Joe Harris Remain on Fire?
Harris has been one of the biggest positive developments of this season and he’s been especially lighting it up in January – averaging 12.4 points per game while shooting a sizzling 55 percent from the field (53 percent from behind the arc).
The key reserve swingman was especially impactful in the Nets’ last game against the Thunder as he shot 7-for-10 including 5-for-5 from three. Considering the Bucks strength in rim protection – the team is currently 10th in the NBA in blocked shots (5.1) – Atkinson and the team will need another strong night from Harris if they want to stop the team’s current five-game losing streak at the Bradley Center.