Cam Thomas scored 32 points as the Brooklyn Nets led for virtually the entire second half and pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 115-102 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night.
After struggling in the second halves at Atlanta and Orlando, the Nets gave new coach Jordi Fernandez his first career win by outscoring Milwaukee 32-24 in the fourth.
Dennis Schroder added 29 points. The veteran guard made 8-of-15 shots and along with Thomas the duo combined to hit 18-of-36 shots and sink seven of Brooklyn’s 16 3s while going 18-of-19 from the free-throw line.
Noah Clowney and Cameron Johnson contributed 13 apiece for the Nets, who shot 42.9 percent overall. Nic Claxton contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds as the Nets avoided their first 0-3 start since dropping their first seven games of the 2015-2016 season under then-coach Lionel Hollins.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 22 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists but never got a chance to dominate. Damian Lillard added 21 points, reserve Bobby Portis contributed 16 points and former Net Brook Lopez scored 15 as the Bucks shot 44.6 percent, missed 23 of 33 3-point tries and committed 18 turnovers
Milwaukee saw a five-game winning streak over the Nets stopped and lost for only the third time in the past 12 regular-season meetings since its overtime win in Game 7 of the second round in the 2021 playoffs.
The Nets led by two points after the first quarter, and Schroder scored 11 in the second to help Brooklyn take a 48-45 lead by halftime. Brooklyn briefly lost a six-point lead midway through the third but took an 83-78 lead into the fourth when Thomas sank a deep 3-pointer with 7.9 seconds left.
A 3 by Portis got Milwaukee within 83-81 less than a minute into the fourth but the Nets gradually surged ahead.
Brooklyn pushed the lead to 94-85 on a 3 by Thomas with 8:38 left and his three-point play gave the Nets a 99-85 lead with 7:04 left. Schroder’s 3 extended the lead to 104-88 with 5:21 left, and about two minutes later, Milwaukee pulled its starters ahead of its visit to Boston on Monday.
–Field Level Media
