Nets vs. Bucks recap: Milwaukee stifles Brooklyn to take Game 3

The Brooklyn Nets had a chance to take a commanding 3-0 lead over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night, but quickly found themselves in a colossal hole in the first quarter.

The Bucks held the Nets to 4-for-23 shooting to the start the game as they held on to a 30-11 lead heading into the second quarter. However, Brooklyn bounced right back.

The Nets outscored the Bucks 31-15 in the second period thanks to an inspired run by Bruce Brown (11 PTS) on the offensive end. Coach Steve Nash and his squad found themselves down only three at the half because of it.

Before the game resumed for the third quarter, the question was whether Kevin Durant could get himself out of his shooting slump? He was 2-for-10 from the field with seven points after the first two periods, and Milwaukee was making him work for every bucket.

On cue, Kevin Durant woke up in the second half to score 23 points. The Nets were also able to capture their first lead of the game in the third quarter after trailing by as many as 21 points. In the end, it took big games from Khris Middleton (35 PTS, 15 REBS, 12-25 FG) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (33 PTS, 14 REBS) to keep the Nets at bay.

Durant had a chance to tie the game at the end of the fourth quarter – and Giannis later said that it “looked good” – but the shot missed and the Bucks held on for a series-changing win.

Khris Middleton's comeback game

Khris Middleton has entered the chat. After shooting only 30 percent from the field in the first two games of this series, he made his presence felt with a huge bounce back game in Game 3. He scored 35 points on 12-for-25 shooting from the field and 3-for-6 shooting from three. This was the player that we expected to show up in the first two games, but it didn't quite go that way. If the Bucks want to have a chance to advance from this series, Middleton must continue his good form.

Bruce Brown continues to show out

Bruce Brown was an absolute beast on Thursday night. Brown ended Game 3 with 16 points on 8-for-17 shooting from the field and 11 rebounds in 37 minutes. He was also responsible for sparking the comeback in the second quarter when Brooklyn was down by as many as 21 points as he kept hitting floater after floater. The only flaw from his performance was his five fouls and perhaps his missed shot towards the end of the fourth quarter that could have kept the Nets in the game.

It was a poor shooting night for both teams

Although the Bucks haven't been efficient from the field all series, it was an off-shooting night for both teams. Defense was the name of the game in this battle. The Nets shot only 36 percent from the field, recording one of their lowest percentages in the postseason. On the other side, the Bucks shot 38 percent from the field. Shots weren't falling on both ends, but it was Milwaukee who prevailed.

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