Brooklyn Nets survive surreal comeback from Milwaukee Bucks, win 113-110

This game was almost a tanker’s delight, until Cam Johnson got injured in the final seconds and the Nets saved a huge lead by the skin of their teeth.

The Brooklyn Nets were trying to pay it forward on Thursday night, the second game of a back-to-back on the road.

One night earlier, the Toronto Raptors welcomed back a few injured players and ended their 11-game losing streak by running the Nets out of Scotiabank Arena in the fourth quarter. For all of Toronto’s evident warts, particularly on defense, they played hard and fast on the second night of their own back-to-back, leading to a cheerful win.

Brooklyn had an opponent they could reverse that same playbook on, one they’d already beaten twice this year and lost a nail-biter to: the Milwaukee Bucks.

On a night where GM Sean Marks spoke to both the New York Post’s Brian Lewis and Sarah Kustok of YES Network, openly touching on the recent trades the team has made, the long-term future of the franchise, and what it will take to once again “build a competitive culture,” the team had a game to win.

Brooklyn was not only facing a team whose 2025 first-round pick they own, but a team that, outside of world-destroyer Giannis Antetokounmpo, has looked washed all the way up in each of the four matchups this season. (Save for old friend Brook Lopez, who is only moderately washed at 36.)

The Nets, meanwhile, were welcoming back Cam Thomas from an injury management day, playing in his second game since November, and Ziaire Williams from a left knee injury that caused a dozen straight absences. D’Angelo Russell would also be playing his second game since being acquired in a trade and Ol’ Reliable Cam Johnson, all that adding up to a huge win for the Nets, who would only be missing Ben Simmons — who had been dreadful in the loss to Toronto —with scheduled rest.

In the first half, all those guys were fantastic. Cam Thomas raced out to 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting in an extreme bench-gunner performance. Starting in his place, technically, was Russell, who would finish with just 11 points but dropped a dozen dimes as a much more effective point guard than anybody Brooklyn’s had since Dennis Schröder’s departure…

Even Williams looked pretty spry. His 8/6/1 line didn’t light up the scoreboard, but he made his presence known on the court, coming up with loose balls and making rotations at the rim, so on and so forth.

Between Williams and an energized Nic Claxton (16-and-10), who played some rare minutes next to Day’Ron Sharpe in the first half, Brooklyn was everything Milwaukee wasn’t. They looked spry and confident, tip-toeing to but not crossing the line of recklessness. That, they saved for Milwaukee’s Andre Jackson Jr., who committed a flagrant 2 on Claxton at the end of the first half…

Nice to be on the other side of that, huh! Now the Nets were really the younger, more athletic team heading into the second half, and on top of dominating the points-off-turnovers and second-chance points categories, they got to the line more.

Above all, Brooklyn had more balanced scoring options behind the top-heavy Bucks. Damian Lillard could not create any space en route to shooting 6-of-20, and Khris Middleton’s 12 points were hardly noticeable.

And yet, Giannis is playing at a level few others have ever reached. So when he Hulk-Smashed his way to the rim over and over and over again in the third quarter, he tossed Brooklyn’s defenders away like flies and single-handedly cut a 20-point deficit in half. Throw in some timely shots from Gary Trent Jr. and Bobby Portis, and Milwaukee was within single-digits by the fourth quarter.

That appeared to be window dressing. A brief Giannis-less lineup gave it right back, as they kept losing track of Cam Johnson while Brooklyn stuck to the script, building a 111-90 lead. It was an impressive response from Jordi Fernández’s team, who one week prior, he had admonished for being immature in their blown lead to the Orlando Magic.

And then they did it again, allowing a 20-0 run over the next seven inept minutes of game time. The offense fell apart as Fernández kept rotating guys in and out, fruitlessly looking for a band-aid. Cam Thomas played a first-ballot Cam Thomas Game, showcasing incredible shot-making early…

…but exhibiting unmatched disinterest in passing the ball, coming back to bite him and the Nets, as he shot 8-of-22 in just 22 minutes.

But more than Thomas’ shortcomings, Brooklyn was eaten alive by the momentum inside the Fiserv Forum, which blew up further with every Antetokounmpo highlight and a couple Lillard threes.

Said Fernández: “I believe CT can make all those shots, same as CJ, and they didn’t go in. At the end of the day, staying together, getting one more stop, it’s the most important thing. And the engagement was there, the energy was there. And yes, you need a little bit of everything, but the purpose, I thought it was there.”

So, is that the perfect blend of long- and short-term success? Milwaukee does owe their draft pick to Brooklyn, but the Nets need to be worried about their own ping-pong balls, easier to do after playing such enjoyable ball for three-and-a-half quarters.

Pragmatism went out the window, though, when Giannis drove on Nic Claxton in a matchup of much animosity, and missed the go-ahead layup with ten seconds left, which would have completed one of the most stunning collapses in the NBA this season. Fittingly, Ziaire Williams collected the board, calmly strolled to the line and hit the game’s two biggest freebies, quite a return to health for the 23-year-old…

“I don’t even know how many free throws I’ve shot in my whole life,” said Williams. “You know, this is why we work so hard. It’s nothing new, you know? Just don’t overthink it, man, just shoot it, and I’m glad I was in that position, honestly … I’m in a great head-space right now, and I missed being out there.”

Eventually, after Brooklyn nearly threw the game, almost committing a delay-of-game penalty on the free-throw line as Claxton and Antetokounmpo played an excruciating game of chicken, the Nets did get the final stop they needed … Only for Cam Johnson, who scored another 26 efficient points, to step on Williams’ foot chasing an otherwise uncontested rebound, tweaking his ankle, throwing the ball out of bounds, and running back to the locker room. Nothing is ever easy…

Williams was hard on himself after the game: “I kind of ruined the night, so I hope it’s not that serious. And I feel, I feel really bad right now, I can’t lie to you, man.”

Post-game. Lewis provided an update on Johnson postgame…

Sill, the report did leave a sour taste after the epic collapse-that-wasn’t. A potential injury to Brooklyn’s current best player and main trade asset would be a brutal blow to the important long-term goals of the franchise; you could argue each win is a small blow as well, but it might be better to not take such a joyless attitude into 2025.

Brooklyn held on for a victory over the disliked Bucks on Thursday night, bringing their record to 13-21. Claxton got the stop on Giannis, Thomas made some tough shots, Russell brought the highlights, and Williams brought smiles and energy.

“It was definitely entertaining,” said Thomas postgame. “Obviously, we didn’t want that to happen, having such a big lead. But it shows that we’re battle tested, and we can pull out wins.”

He continued: “Me in particular, a lot of great open looks I had that just didn’t fall. But I mean, still trying to get back in the flow of things, talking through it still, but at the end of the day, I’m just glad we got the win.”

Ignore the bad-but-not-bad-enough record, ignore Johnson’s hopefully minor injury, focus on the highlights, and you have yourself a hell of a Thursday night win. The only problem: Brooklyn can’t do any of that.

Rebuilds are weird, man.

Final Score: Brooklyn Nets 113, Milwaukee Bucks 110

Milestone Watch

• Keon Johnson secured a career-high nine rebounds on Thursday night, as Day’Ron Sharpe posted a season-high four assists.
• Brooklyn’s 27-8 edge in points off turnovers was their biggest edge in the category this season and the fewest points off turnovers they’ve allowed this season.

Injury Report

Noah Clowney missed the game after taking a hard fall in Toronto on Wednesday. The good news is that he was initially listed as questionable, despite his absence; an update will be provided when the Nets return home for the weekend.

Ben Simmons missed the game with scheduled rest, seeing that it was the second night of a back-to-back.

Yet again, Brooklyn suffered in-game injuries, though Jordi Fernández confirmed D’Angelo Russell simply suffered a cramp that required him to be carried back to the locker room, nothing more. As for Cam Johnson, it sure looked like a good ol’ painful ankle tweak, and no update was immediately available postgame.

Next Up

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The Nets finally return home for a three-game stand, starting with Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. Tip-off is scheduled for Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. ET.

• Boxscore: Brooklyn Nets 113, Milwaukee Bucks 110 – NBA
• Game Highlights: Brooklyn Nets 113, Milwaukee Bucks 110 (Video) – NBA

Cam Thomas on the rollercoaster win over the Bucks – Sarah Kustok & Ian Eagle

• Nets build big lead and barely hang on down the stretch for 113-110 victory over Bucks – Steve Megargee – AP
• Nets turn back fourth-quarter rally to beat Bucks – Larry Fleisher – Reuters
• Sean Marks aiming for flexibility during Nets’ rebuild with potential De’Aaron Fox variable looming – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Cam Johnson helps hold off Bucks on shock win – Brian Lewis – New York Post