They already had the NBA’s best record, so Giannis Antetokounmpo knew the Bucks were a good team.
A powerful finish to a five-game road trip showed him they might be even better than that.
“To finish our road trip with four wins in a row says a lot about this team and how great it can be,” Antetokounmpo said.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Antetokounmpo on Monday had 30 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists as Milwaukee beat the cold-shooting Brooklyn Nets 113-94.
The injury-depleted Nets missed 19 of their first 20 three-point attempts, making it another easy night for the team with the league’s top record.
Brooklyn finished five of 42 (11.9 percent) behind the arc and had their nine-game home winning streak snapped.
Malcolm Brogdon added 16 points and Eric Bledsoe had 15 for the Bucks, who won their fourth straight — all by double digits — after dropping the first game of the trip in Oklahoma City.
The teams entered with the two best records in the Eastern Conference since Dec. 7, with the Bucks coming in 22-6 and Brooklyn 20-8, but the Nets were minus a lot of the firepower that produced that strong stretch.
“Brooklyn’s really banged up so it’s almost not fair, but for us at the end of a road trip it’s a good win,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said.
D’Angelo Russell scored 18 points for the Nets, who have been forced to go deep down their roster because of injuries and lost their third in a row.
Brooklyn shot 32 percent overall while playing without Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris, Jared Dudley and Allen Crabbe, all either starters or key reserves.
“We obviously have some guys out and some guys back, and are mixing and matching,” Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. “I like what we do offensively. Sure we can move it better, but it’s tough when you’re not making shots.”
The remaining Nets were no match for the Bucks, especially with Shabazz Napier going none of 10 behind the arc and DeMarre Carroll missing his first eight overall before finishing two of 11.
“It just seemed like everything that we did, they had a plan for it. They just played their butts off defensively,” Brooklyn center Jarrett Allen said.
Despite all that, the Nets trailed by only nine at halftime.
It was nearly 11, but Antetokounmpo’s basket was ruled too late after he picked up an inbounds pass with three seconds left near one foul line and got all the way to the other basket to attempt a layup.
However, the Bucks broke out for 36 points in the third quarter, extending their lead to 87-64.
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