'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Milwaukee Bucks kickstarted their 2021-22 NBA campaign in style. They beat their 2021 Eastern Conference semifinal opponents, the Brooklyn Nets, 127-104 to begin their NBA title defense on the right note.
The 23-point victory was the perfect result for the Bucks on a night when their players and coaching staff received their championship rings before tip-off.
After an intense seven-game series in the 2021 NBA Playoffs, this was the first contest between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets. It also headlined the opening night of the NBA’s 75th season.
The matchup took place at Fiserv Forum. The Bucks pulled off a statement win against a team that is largely expected to be their toughest opponent in winning back-to-back NBA titles.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo leading from the front and his teammates giving him adequate support, the Milwaukee Bucks came away with a comprehensive win on their home floor.
Here are five talking points from the very first game of the NBA’s 2021-22 season.
#1 The Brooklyn Nets came out looking flat
The entire talk leading to the start of the 2021-22 NBA season was that the Brooklyn Nets were going to be the team to beat. The league’s annual GM survey had an overwhelming 72% of the respondents say that the Nets will go on to win it all in 2022.
With that kind of build-up about their form, the expectation was that the Brooklyn Nets would make a statement against the team that vanquished them in the 2021 Playoffs.
However, what we saw instead was a lackluster performance from Brooklyn. They scored just 25 points in the opening quarter while conceding as many as 37 in the first 12 minutes.
After cutting the deficit to seven points at the half (59-66), they were outscored by the Milwaukee Bucks in the third quarter (26-31), once again giving up a double-digit deficit to their opponents at the end of three quarters (85-97).
The Brooklyn Nets were sloppy with the ball – they had 12 turnovers to Milwaukee’s seven. They allowed the Bucks 16 second-chance points while pouring in just six for themselves.
The Milwaukee Bucks also won the fastbreak points battle 21-15. All three stats showcase Brooklyn’s lack of intensity and hustle on a night on when they could have served notice to the defending champions.
#2 Patty Mills is a great addition to the Brooklyn Nets
After spending 10 seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, Patty Mills came to the Brooklyn Nets as a terrific addition to their roster.
Coming off the bench, Mills was a perfect seven-of-seven from downtown (7-of-11 overall) for Brooklyn. He had 21 points and was a plus-seven in a game where Kevin Durant and James Harden were both a negative 20. That kind of contribution makes his two-year, $12-million deal look like a steal for the Nets.
#3 Both teams would be concerned by issues with their star point guards
Anyone who said the Brooklyn Nets are still overwhelming favorites despite Kyrie Irving’s unavailability must have gotten a reality check after the result of this game.
Irving, who has been told by the Nets that he cannot be a part of the team on a part-time basis because of his unvaccinated status, was clearly missed in this game.
Irving, who averaged 26.9 ppg for the Brooklyn Nets last season, is a legitimate scoring threat against the best of defenses. His presence would have certainly put the Milwaukee Bucks’ defense under more pressure while creating more scoring opportunities for his team.
Brooklyn must hope that Irving will eventually get vaccinated and return to the team to boost their title-winning ambitions this season.
On the other side, Jrue Holiday’s exit after the first half of the game because of a right heel contusion could be a point of concern for the Milwaukee Bucks. Holiday had 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting for the Bucks before he suffered the injury, which did not allow him to participate in the second half.
Remember, this has been an extremely short offseason for Holiday, who was also a member of Team USA at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The Milwaukee Bucks will not want him gone for too long if they have to mount the best possible defense of their NBA title.
#4 Give us another round of Kevin Durant versus Giannis Antetokounmpo
Although James Harden had 20 points, eight assists and eight rebounds, it was Kevin Durant who was once again the best player on the Brooklyn Nets’ roster.
Durant started off slow, going 2-for-8 initially, but finished with 32 points on 13-of-25 shooting and 11 boards. The fact that he did this despite Khris Middleton playing some really good defense on him shows why he is the league’s best player at the moment.
However, the night undoubtedly belonged to Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. The Greek Freak tallied 32 points to match Durant’s output but also had 14 rebounds and seven assists to go with it.
There were moments in the game when Antetokounmpo appeared to be everywhere on the court for Milwaukee. He ran the floor, blocked shots or just simply Euro-stepped his way past KD.
Giannis also had five offensive boards and a couple of blocks, including one on Nic Claxton, which yet again showcased why he is such a great two-way player.
#5 The Milwaukee Bucks are here to defend their NBA title
There is a reason why the Milwaukee Bucks are the defending NBA champions, and they made it clear that they are here to defend.
Where previous champions may have simply sauntered in on opening night, the Bucks played with purpose from the very beginning. Their interior defense, passing (25 assists) and ball-handling all looked sharp on the night.
Of course, the Milwaukee Bucks were led by Giannis’ performance. However, with Holiday missing the majority of the game, Middleton provided adequate cover with a 20-point, nine-rebound effort while playing good defense on Durant.
The Bucks would have also been excited by the contribution of new signing Jordan Nwora, who scored 15 points off the bench while going 3-of-6 from long range.
Pat Connaughton, too, continued with his stellar playoff showing by pounding the Nets for 20 points from 8-of-13 shooting.
Really, barring the injury to Holiday, this was the perfect way for the Milwaukee Bucks to begin their 2021-22 campaign.
