Brooklyn Nets 104-127 Milwaukee Bucks: 5 Talking points as Giannis Antetokounmpo puts up dominant performance on opening night | 2021-22 NBA season
The Milwaukee Bucks kickstarted their 2021-22 NBA campaign in style. They beat their 2021 Eastern Conference semifinal opponents, the Brooklyn Nets, 127-104 to begin their NBA title defense on the right note.
The 23-point victory was the perfect result for the Bucks on a night when their players and coaching staff received their championship rings before tip-off.
MVP!
MVP!
MVP! https://t.co/r5oD9c6kgp
After an intense seven-game series in the 2021 NBA Playoffs, this was the first contest between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets. It also headlined the opening night of the NBA’s 75th season.
The matchup took place at Fiserv Forum. The Bucks pulled off a statement win against a team that is largely expected to be their toughest opponent in winning back-to-back NBA titles.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo leading from the front and his teammates giving him adequate support, the Milwaukee Bucks came away with a comprehensive win on their home floor.
Here are five talking points from the very first game of the NBA’s 2021-22 season.
Champs still reign supreme. https://t.co/c8hXZNg1dT
#1 The Brooklyn Nets came out looking flat
The entire talk leading to the start of the 2021-22 NBA season was that the Brooklyn Nets were going to be the team to beat. The league’s annual GM survey had an overwhelming 72% of the respondents say that the Nets will go on to win it all in 2022.
With that kind of build-up about their form, the expectation was that the Brooklyn Nets would make a statement against the team that vanquished them in the 2021 Playoffs.
However, what we saw instead was a lackluster performance from Brooklyn. They scored just 25 points in the opening quarter while conceding as many as 37 in the first 12 minutes.
After cutting the deficit to seven points at the half (59-66), they were outscored by the Milwaukee Bucks in the third quarter (26-31), once again giving up a double-digit deficit to their opponents at the end of three quarters (85-97).
Wait for it...😉 https://t.co/kP9uIZ47xJ
The Brooklyn Nets were sloppy with the ball – they had 12 turnovers to Milwaukee’s seven. They allowed the Bucks 16 second-chance points while pouring in just six for themselves.
The Milwaukee Bucks also won the fastbreak points battle 21-15. All three stats showcase Brooklyn’s lack of intensity and hustle on a night on when they could have served notice to the defending champions.
#2 Patty Mills is a great addition to the Brooklyn Nets
After spending 10 seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, Patty Mills came to the Brooklyn Nets as a terrific addition to their roster.
Coming off the bench, Mills was a perfect seven-of-seven from downtown (7-of-11 overall) for Brooklyn. He had 21 points and was a plus-seven in a game where Kevin Durant and James Harden were both a negative 20. That kind of contribution makes his two-year, $12-million deal look like a steal for the Nets.
Patty has attempted 7 threes.
Patty has made 7 threes.
That's tied for the NBA record for most in a debut with a new team. https://t.co/z3LjQm93EC