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Eric WoodyardESPN
Under normal circumstances, a child and their family would have left Barclays Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a story for centuries.
To begin with, there was no school for the holidays, as three former MVPs – Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden and Kevin Durant – clashed against each other in a high-stakes match, with the Brooklyn Nets tackling the Milwaukee Bucks 125-123 has. .
Even in the fanless environment forced by the pandemic, the last five minutes of regulation between these two power stations of the Eastern Conference made those who watched at home quickly think of a possible playoff game.
After Milwaukee’s Brook Lopez hit a 3-point lead with 5:01 to tie the game at 110, there were eight clues and ten running field goals. The ten running field goals that ended the most in the last five minutes of a game have ended with regulation over the past 25 years, including playoff games, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Antetokounmpo set up almost a triple double with 34 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists to pass along with two steals.
Here’s a closer look at how the final piece played out:
4:07 to play: Pat Connaughton hits 3 points, Bucks leads 113-112
3:37 to play: Harden strikes hold, Nets lead 114-113
Harden and Durant combined scored 64 points, becoming the first teammates ever to score 30 or more points in each of their first two games, along with a franchise, according to data from Elias Sports Bureau.
3:17 to play: Jrue Holiday make layup, Bucks lead 115-114
1:55 to play: Harden makes floating jumper, Nets lead 118-117
In the first half, Harden passed with ease, but he also had six turnovers, which was the most in the half this season. However, he cleared it in the second half, with no turnover and some important play at the end, including this driver as he rode in the lane over the long arms of Lopez, an All-Defensive two-team center. Through two games with the Nets, Harden scored or helped 129 points, which is the most in the first two games of a player with a team in NBA history.
1:44 to play: Khris Middleton makes drive, Bucks lead 119-118
1:17 to play: Antetokounmpo tip-in hit 119-119 draw, Bucks lead 121-119
There were early emotions to be seen between Durant and Antetokounmpo, while Durant Giannis ran into a Nets bucket in the first quarter and then pushed him to the ground while running on another play. So it was only right for the Greek Freak to attack the basket aggressively with a two-handed kickback from a missed lineup by Holiday.
1:05 to play: Joe Harris makes 3-pointer, Nets leads 122-121
55.4 to play: Middleton makes a 14-foot tractor jump, Bucks leads 123-122
36.8 to play: Durant hits a three-pointer, Nets leads 125-123
One of the biggest concerns at the Nets organization after acquiring Harden was how the three stars would work together during times of crisis, although Kyrie Irving missed his seventh consecutive game on Monday. Durant silenced the sound with a clutch, three-pointer to achieve the victory. Durant’s catch-and-shoot hoop, one of his trademark shots, came to the aid of Harden, who returned his own mission.
“We’re still trying to find our way, and we still have room to improve, but it’s a good start,” Durant said.
1.1 to play: Middleton misses 23 feet 3 points, Nets win 125-123
Middleton finished the night with 25 points, but saw her return, three-point effort rolling in and out, after getting an incoming pass from the sidelines. Although several options were introduced, Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer had no problems with the effort, even with Antetokounmpo as the superstar for the team.
“Khris is very gifted. He came off a shot. I thought it looked like it was going in, so if you can just get the ball to Khris,” Budenholzer said. “His footwork, his height, but those are multiple things we look at. Khris is one of the well-read things, a good decision from Jrue, a good shot by Khris. We’ll take it.”