By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the rest of the Milwaukee Bucks began their NBA championship defense with an emphatic win over the Brooklyn Nets, 127-104.
Three months after lifting the Larry O’ Brien trophy, the men in green and white looked like they were ready for their title defense as they blitzed their way to a dominant first half against the star-studded Nets squad, outscoring them 66-59 in the first two quarters.
Antetokounmpo was again a handful to deal with in the paint as he powered his way against the Brooklyn interior to finish the showdown with 32 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists.
Kevin Durant attempted to bring Brooklyn within striking distance in the second half and went to his sweet spots for 32 points but the Milwaukee perimeter defense proved to be too much.
Milwaukee’s eight total steals swarmed Durant and James Harden every time they caught the leather and made it hard for them to generate on the offensive end.
Newly acquired sharp-shooting guard Patty Mills had a solid offensive output for Brooklyn after scoring 21 points and sank all of his seven attempts from the three-point area.
However, they needed more help as Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge, Paul Millsap, and Joe Harris only scored in single digits.
Khris Middleton and Pat Connaughton backstopped the Greek Freak with 20 points apiece while shining sophomore Jordan Nwara contributed 15 points.
Milwaukee will have the chance to make it two wins in a row as they face the Miami Heat in their next game while the Nets will be aiming for their first win against the Philadelphia 76ers.
