MILWAUKEE _ The Nets have had more than their share of games where the 3-pointers weren't falling, but Thursday night at BMO Harris Bradley Center wasn't one of them. The Nets rained 19 3s, including a combined nine by Allen Crabbe and D'Angelo Russell on their way to a surprising 119-111 victory over the playoff-bound Bucks. It was the third win in the Nets' past four road games.
The teams traded the lead six times and there were five ties in a wild fourth quarter before Crabbe hit back-to-back 3s to give the Nets a measure of control at 111-105 with 1:18 left to play. They held on from there by converting eight straight foul shots in the final minute.
Crabbe led the Nets (26-53) with 25 points, including 5-of-10 from 3, and Russell added 22, including 4-of-10 from above the arc. Overall, the Nets made 19 of 39 3s (48.7), and they got 17 points from Joe Harris, 14 points and 11 rebounds from Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and 10 rebounds and five blocks from rookie center Jarrett Allen.
Khris Middleton topped the Bucks (42-37) with 31 points, but Giannis Antetokounmpo was held to 19 on 7-of-21 shooting by a combination of Hollis-Jefferson's defense and the rim protection of Allen.
In their previous two meetings, the Bucks trounced the Nets by 25 and 15 points. With injuries that knocked out DeMarre Carroll (left hip strain), Dante Cunningham (back spasms) and Jahlil Okafor (right ankle sprain), the Nets figured to face an even more difficult task trying to contain the drives of All-Star Antetokounmpo.
Hollis-Jefferson had the primary responsibility for covering the "Greek Freak," but rookie center Allen figured to play a key role as a rim protector in the effort to limit the Bucks in the paint. Sure enough, Allen blocked Antetokounmpo's second shot of the game, and he blocked three shots and grabbed seven rebounds in the first half.
"We need him because they're coming at us," Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said of Allen before the game. "We have to keep them out of the paint, wall up, try to control their drives, which is easier said than done with Giannis. But Jarrett's got to be that second line of defense. I keep saying he's got to be our rim protector, he's got to control the paint both from a rim protection standpoint and a rebounding standpoint."
The Bucks still managed a 24-20 first-half advantage in paint points, but Antetokounmpo was limited to eight points on 4-of-11 shooting and wasn't able to get downhill toward the rim the way he did in the previous two meetings. As a result, the Nets built a 52-45 halftime advantage thanks to 18 points from Russell and 51.3 percent shooting compared to 37.8 percent for the Bucks.
In the third quarter, the Nets pushed their lead to 11 points only to see the Bucks respond with an 18-3 run, including seven points from Eric Bledsoe, whose 3-pointer gave them a 75-71 lead. The Nets regained the lead after back-to-back 3s by LeVert and Spencer Dinwiddie, and they took a two-point lead to the fourth quarter.
