The Milwaukee Bucks put together one of their best stretches without Giannis Antetokounmpo when they dominated the second half against the Boston Celtics on Thursday.
Now, the challenge is replicating their strong showing, and the Bucks attempt to earn consecutive wins for the third time this season Sunday night when they visit the Brooklyn Nets.
The Bucks earned back-to-back wins from Oct. 22-24 and Oct. 28-30 when they opened with four wins in five games. Since then, they are 7-14 in their past 21 games, a stretch that has seen Antetokounmpo miss time with a calf and groin injury.
Milwaukee is 2-7 without Antetokounmpo, who injured his calf early in its 113-109 win over the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 3. The calf ailment occurred after he played three games following a four-game absence due to a groin injury.
The Bucks are attempting to stop a six-game road losing streak after earning a 116-101 home win over the Celtics on Thursday. Milwaukee outscored the Celtics 56-34 by shooting 63.5 percent in the second half and 58.2 percent for the game, their highest percentage without Antetokounmpo.
Kyle Kuzma scored a season-high 31 points on 13-of-17 shooting after scoring 47 points combined in his previous five games. Bobby Portis added 27 for his second 20-point showing in three games and bounced back from a 2-of-11 showing in a Dec. 6 loss at Detroit.
“We gotta do it again,” Kuzma said. “This all does not mean anything if we come out and we come out soft. If we come out not playing hard, then we’re back two steps back. So keeping it consistent with the mentality of ‘just punch somebody in the face,’ you know? Be aggressive, both ends.”
The Bucks earned a 116-99 win over the Nets in Milwaukee on Nov. 29. Brooklyn held Michael Porter Jr. out of the last meeting to manage a back injury on the second night of a back-to-back.
Porter is averaging 34.2 points on 56.3 percent shooting and 53.5 percent from 3-point range in his past four games. He has scored at least 30 in a career-best four straight games and nine times this season.
Brooklyn fell to 6-3 when Porter scored at least 30 because it faltered in the fourth quarter of Friday’s 119-111 loss at Dallas. After taking a two-point lead into the fourth, the Nets were outscored 29-19 and shot 6-of-21 in the final 12 minutes.
It was the second straight time the Nets earned a loss by struggling in the fourth quarter. On Dec. 4 at home against the Utah Jazz, Brooklyn took a 123-110 loss by getting outscored 42-20 in the final 12 minutes.
“It’s a different brand of basketball in the last quarter, but really the last seven, eight minutes,” Porter said. “It really tightens up and you’ve got to hold your spots a little better,” Porter said. “You’ve got to be more aggressive. Guys are going to get away with more holding, so just being strong the last seven, eight minutes and being decisive.”
The Nets took the loss while placing six in double figures, including Danny Wolf, who finished with 17 off the bench. Wolf scored 22 in the loss in Milwaukee and has seen playing time increase recently.
Another of Brooklyn’s five first-round picks is Egor Demin, who has shown promise but also inconsistency. Demin scored 23 in a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 28, but on Friday, he was held to three points on 1-of-7 shooting in 18 minutes, marking the fourth time in five games he was held to single digits.
