Giannis Antetokounmpo returns from 2-game absence to lead Milwaukee Bucks over Brooklyn Nets

Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out the last 2 games due to a hamstring injury, but he returned tonight and led the Milwaukee Bucks to a 115-108 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at Fiserv Forum.

The Bucks suffered a tough loss to the Boston Celtics in their previous game, but they proved that they can compete with the best team in the East and will look to meet them in the Conference Finals. In the meantime, they were able to get the 2-time MVP back for this game and when he’s on the floor, Milwaukee has a chance to beat anyone.

That was the case tonight, as the Greek Freak recorded 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists in his return. Damian Lillard scored a game-high 30 points along with 12 assists and 5 made triples, including the dagger three with under a minute left. Brook Lopez ended with 17 points and 5 boards while Malik Beasley contributed 16 points and 6 rebounds.

Mikal Bridges had a bounce back performance as he finished with 24 points while hitting 6 three-pointers. Cam Thomas scored 21 points while Nic Claxton recorded 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 steals. Cam Johnson hit 4 triples and ended with 17 points and 8 boards.

Milwaukee improves to 45-25 with this win and widen the gap to 1.5 games between them and the Cavs for the 2nd seed. The Bucks are looking like the biggest threat to the Celtics in the East, as Dame and Giannis have been clicking. Over the last 10 games, they are 6-4 and they’ll look to start a winning streak when they play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.

Brooklyn drops to 26-44 with this loss and continue to fall further away from the 10th seed. It looks like this season is coming to an end for the Nets and they’ll have to start preparing for the off-season. They’re on a 5-game losing streak and have gone 2-8 over their last 10 matchups. Their next contest will be on Saturday against the New York Knicks.