MILWAUKEE — Brooklyn coach Steve Nash wasn’t there to watch Giannis Antetokounmpo pick apart the nets.
Nash was ejected for the first time in his coaching career after arguing that Antetokounmpo should have been called out for an offensive foul on Patty Mills while putting the ball on court in the third quarter.
Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks dominated the rest of the stretch with a 110-99 win Wednesday night.
“I just stood up for our boys,” said Nash, who was kicked out twice during his 18-year playing career. “I thought Patty had smacked Giannis in the throat with a forearm right in front of the referee. I didn’t think that was fair. I don’t think I was overly demonstrative. I was upset that I got the tech.”
Antetokounmpo had 43 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. In the second half he scored 34 points.
That performance three nights after he scored 44 points and shot 17 of 21 in a 125-105 loss for the Houston Rockets was only the fifth time in NBA history that a player had scored at least 44 points while scoring fewer than played 28 minutes.
“I’ve worked a lot these few years and this summer and I’m so anxious to prove to myself that I can do what I’ve been working on and sometimes I think I’m not playing as much (too) my power . said Antetokounmpo. “I sort of scratched that, and in the second half I was just like, ‘OK, I’m going to be myself and be okay with that’ and just tried to ride as much as I could and find my teammates and get in the paint. “
The Nets were leading 70-66 with about 4 ½ minutes left in the third quarter when Nash received a technical foul and then screamed his displeasure when assistant coach Jacque Vaughn and forward Royce O’Neale held him back. Nash’s heated reaction led to a second technical that ejected him.
Milwaukee outplayed the Nets the rest of the way 44-29.
After shooting just 3 of 10 in the first half, Antetokounmpo went the rest of the way on 13 of 15. He scored 34 points in the second half as the Bucks outplayed the Nets 67-44 in the last two periods.
“This is vintage Giannis,” said Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer. “That’s probably the best thing – he’s had a lot of great performances – tonight in the second half he did it all. He was phenomenal.”
Bobby Portis had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Milwaukee and Jrue Holiday added 15 points.
Kevin Durant scored 33, Kyrie Irving 27 and Royce O’Neale 12 for the Nets.
Irving scored 11 straight Brooklyn points and sank a jumper that leveled the game at 83 with 10:09 left, but the Nets remained scoreless for the next 5½ minutes as Milwaukee built a 10-point lead.
Durant finally ended Brooklyn’s drought by making a driving layup with 4:37 left, the first time a net other than Irving has scored since Day’Ron Sharpe’s free throw with 3:02 left in the third period would have.
TIP INS
Nets: Brooklyn played a second straight game without Markieff Morris, for personal reasons. Seth Curry (left ankle) and TJ Warren (left foot) are yet to make their season debuts. Nash said ahead of the game that Curry will be training with the team’s NBA G League partner on Thursday. … Nash said before the game he wanted to see Ben Simmons regain “that joy of playing the game” when the three-time All-Star returns after missing the entire 2021-22 season and undergoing back surgery. Simmons had four points, five rebounds and nine assists Wednesday. He hasn’t scored more than seven points in any of Brooklyn’s first four games.
Bucks: The Bucks continue to play without Khris Middleton (wrist), Pat Connaughton (calf) and Joe Ingles (knee). … A minute’s silence was observed in honor of the game keith carrington, who has been the lead event security supervisor for Fiserv Forum since 2018. Carrington died in the offseason.
NEXT
Nets: Host the Mavericks in the first of four straight home games on Thursday.
Bucks: Host the New York Knicks in Friday’s third game of a six-home season.
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