5 Best games of the 2020-21 NBA season so far

#3 Milwaukee Bucks vs Boston Celtics - December 23, 2020

Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks trips over Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics.

The Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics have been among the elite teams in the NBA's Eastern Conference in recent years. To start the 2020-21 NBA season, the Bucks visited Boston on December 23rd to play in a matchup of two likely contenders for the East's throne in the 2021 NBA Playoffs.

Milwaukee put together their Big Three for the first time in the year, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday did not disappoint. On Boston's side, not many additions were made, as Tristan Thompson was the noisiest move for Boston in the offseason. Still, they continued to put their hopes in the developments of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Each player on Milwaukee's trio scored over 25 points in the game, while Tatum and Brown went for 33 and 30, respectively. Though Boston entered the fourth quarter with a 17-point lead, the game was decided when Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the game-tying free-throw without time on the clock.

Before Giannis' free-throw attempts at the end, Tatum had made a huge three-pointer to put Boston up by two with one second left.

#2 Milwaukee Bucks vs Brooklyn Nets - January 18, 2021

Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets drives against the Milwaukee Bucks during their game at Barclays Center.

The Milwaukee Bucks dominated the Eastern Conference during the last two regular seasons. However, the 2020-21 NBA season presented them with a different challenge. Initially, the Brooklyn Nets were a huge threat to Milwaukee and the rest of the East after pairing Kevin Durant with Kyrie Irving. Then, adding James Harden only made them the clear favorites to represent the East in the NBA Finals.

On January 18th, the 9-4 Milwaukee Bucks visited the Barclays Center to go against the 8-6 Brooklyn Nets. Even though Irving was still inactive and away from the team due to personal reasons, the game was interesting due to Harden's presence. It was The Beard's second game with the Nets, and he was huge for them.

Brooklyn defeated Milwaukee thanks to a game-winning three-pointer by Kevin Durant with 36 seconds left. Harden scored 32 points and dished out 12 assists in the game. Durant also scored 30 points, while Antetokounmpo scored 34 for Milwaukee with 12 rebounds, and seven assists.

#1 Brooklyn Nets vs Cleveland Cavaliers - January 20, 2021

Collin Sexton #2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots over Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets.

This game, which was played on January 20th, will always be remembered as the game where the Brooklyn Nets trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden played for the first time together. However, that will be the second thing mentioned, as the Cleveland Cavaliers' Collin Sexton stole the show.

Up to that point in the NBA season, Cleveland had been a nice team defensively, and they had a 6-7 record. Brooklyn had a 9-6 record, and expectations for their trio were incredibly high.

However, Cleveland stayed in the game long enough and entered the fourth quarter with a nine-point lead. However, 28 points from the Nets' Big Three forced the first of two overtime periods, and the game had a thrilling end. In the first overtime, Sexton scored seven points and the game-tying three-pointer with a second left.

In the second overtime period, Sexton went off for 15 points to give Cleveland a huge 12-point win over Brooklyn and their Big Three. Sexton finished with 42 points. On the Nets' side, Durant had 38, Irving 37, and Harden had a 21-point Triple-Double.

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