Hitting big at the end
Dellavedova, Henson deliver in the clutch
Beating a team twice in three days is no easy task.
The Milwaukee Bucks knew it before they stepped on the floor to face the Brooklyn Nets in a matinee start Saturday. But they made the right plays in the fourth quarter to answer a Nets comeback and emerge with a 112-103 victory before 15,565 fans at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
Milwaukee (10-8) won its fourth in a row and fifth in its last six games as six Bucks players scored in double figures. John Henson led the way with 20 points and Matthew Dellavedova added 18, including 12 in the decisive final quarter. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 16 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and a career-high tying five blocks.
“I think we had a chance in the third quarter to break the game wide open but we didn’t take it,” Dellavedova said. “They came back and played well, but then we did a good job of pulling away.”
The Bucks led by 16 points in the third quarter before Brooklyn (514) mounted a comeback behind Sean Kilpatrick and Brook Lopez. The Nets took the lead several times in the fourth quarter, the last at 94-92 on a three-pointer by Lopez with 5 minutes 20 seconds left.
Milwaukee then went on an 11-1 run to take control, with Henson and Dellavedova each scoring four points in the spurt. Dellavedova hit a key jumper to give the Bucks a 97-94 lead and later made two free throws for a 103-95 advantage with 1:43 remaining.
Jabari Parker contributed 15 points and eight rebounds and the Bucks went to him on the left wing to initiate the offense in the fourth quarter.
“We wanted to see how he handled being the playmaker, and I thought he did a great job of executing the plays,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. “He was taking what was open and getting to the free throw line.
“We got an opportunity to do it late in that fourth quarter when the game could have gone either way, and he responded in a positive way.”
Henson made 7 of 11 field goals and dunked off a spectacular behindthe-back pass from Antetokounmpo in the third quarter.
“They’re just finding me and I was open,” Henson said. “Obviously they’re huge threats (Antetokounmpo and Parker) coming down the lane, so it’s my job to finish for them and take a little heat off them.
“Giannis is always ready to pass. He’s playing phenomenal. It’s kind of scary, actually. It will be exciting to see what this next stretch of games brings. Tough games, but we’re going into it feeling good about ourselves.”
The Bucks play their next three games at home, starting with a Monday night date against San Antonio, followed by a Wednesday game vs. Portland and a Friday meeting with Atlanta.
Lopez went 0 for 10 in the first half and 0 for 5 from three-point range but finally found his three-point stroke in the second half. The Nets center finished with 13 points on 3-of-17 shooting while Bojan Bogdanovic led Brooklyn with 24 points and Kilpatrick added 19.
“It’s always tough just because they’ve got something to prove,” Parker said of beating the Nets in two straight games. “It’s all about using good habits we’ve gotten these wins with and trying to stay consistent.”
The Bucks are now 3-0 against the Nets, winning both games in Milwaukee and taking a 111-93 decision Thursday in New York. The teams will play a final time Feb. 15 at Brooklyn.