Giannis Antetokounmpo outduels Kevin Durant and leads Bucks past Nets

Giannis Antetokounmpo outduels Kevin Durant and leads Bucks past Nets

Joe Harris. Blake Griffin and Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo dropped 49 points to lead his Milwaukee Bucks past the best Eastern Conference team, Brooklyn Nets. Antetokounmpo finished three points shy of his career high, set against Philadelphia in March 2019. 

Kevin Durant had 42 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets, but he missed a difficult fadeaway 3-pointer at the buzzer. Kyrie Irving scored 20 points and Landry Shamet finished with 17. Durant was 7 of 13 from 3-point range and 16 of 33 overall while playing a game-high 40 minutes. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo outperforms Kevin Durant as Bucks beat Nets 117-114 

The Bucks (40-24) won for the third time in four games to pull within 2 1/2 games of the Nets (43-22) in the three-way battle for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia is on top at 42-21 heading into its matchup with San Antonio on Sunday night. 

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A slick move by Antetokounmpo gave the Bucks a 117-112 lead, and Irving answered with a layup. But Durant and Middleton traded 3-point misses before the final attempt by Durant. 

“I was not going back and forth with Kevin Durant,” Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “There’s nobody in this world who can go back and forth with him. He’s one of the greatest players to ever play this game. 

Antetokounmpo scored the Bucks’ first 16 points of the third quarter, and his personal streak stopped when he passed to Forbes for a 3-pointer. He had 18 points in the third, and the game was tied at 90 heading to the fourth. 

Also read: Stephen Curry’s big 3rd quarter leads Warriors past Rockets 113-87