Dragic debuts, while Irving's 38 points power Nets to win over Giannis' Bucks / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: AP-Scanpix Credit AP-Scanpix

Kyrie Irving finished with a season-high 38 points and the Brooklyn Nets (32-29) overcame a seven-point, fourth-quarter deficit as they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks (36-25) 126-123 (25-32, 28-27, 43-34, 30-30) on Saturday in a rematch of a 2021 Eastern Conference semifinal matchup.

Brooklyn Nets / Schedule

Brooklyn Nets Boston Celtics106-129 Milwaukee Bucks Brooklyn Nets123-126 Brooklyn Nets Toronto RaptorsTue00:30 Toronto Raptors Brooklyn NetsWed00:30 Brooklyn Nets Miami HeatFri00:30

Brooklyn outscored the Bucks 23-13 over the final 5:30 to earn its first win in three meetings with Milwaukee this season.

LaMarcus Aldridge sank a pair of free throws with 2.1 seconds remaining, and Giannis Antetokounmpo missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Irving shot 14-for-26 and added five rebounds and five assists. Brooklyn's Seth Curry tallied 19 points, Andre Drummond posted 17 points and 12 rebounds, Bruce Brown went for 15 points and Aldridge had 11.

The latest Nets addition, Goran Dragic, made his debut with the new team, scoring 6 points, grabbing 3 rebounds, and dishing 2 assists.

Bucks' Bobby Portis tied his season-high with 30 points thanks to a career-high eight 3-pointers. Antetokounmpo finished with 29 points (on 8-of-20 shooting), 14 rebounds, and six assists, Khris Middleton had 25 points and seven assists, and Jrue Holiday contributed 19 points and seven assists.

Missing free throws proved to be costly for Milwaukee, as it left 13 points at the charity stripe, going 25-for-38 (65.8 percent). Brooklyn hit 25 of its 33 foul shots (75.8 percent).

After trailing by six at halftime, the Nets went on a 27-8 run that put them up 89-76 with 4:28 left to play in the third quarter. Irving led the surge with seven points, while Curry added six.

The Bucks responded with a 17-7 run to pull within three by the end of the frame.

Milwaukee used a 10-6 run to propel itself into the break with a 59-53 lead. Antetokounmpo and Portis each had 14 points before halftime, and Middleton added 11. The Bucks were also hit from 3-point range, going 10-for-21 (47.7 percent).

Irving led all scorers with 17 first-half points, and Drummond added eight. Brooklyn did a good portion of its work down low, scoring 24 of its 53 points in the paint.

The Bucks shot 50 percent as a team through the first quarter, allowing them to jump out to a 32-25 lead.

Nets: Kyrie Irving 38 (5 REB, 5 AST), Seth Curry 19, Andre Drummond 17 (12 REB, 5 AST), Bruce Brown 15 (7 REB), LaMarcus Aldridge 11.

Bucks: Bobby Portis 30 (12 REB), Giannis Antetokounmpo 29 (14 REB, 6 AST), Khris Middleton 25 (7 REB), Jrue Holiday 19 (5 REB, 7 AST).

Kyrie Irving's performance

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