NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets (20-59) are nearing the end of their 2025-26 NBA season, but they still have some games left to play before they can regroup over the summer. Brooklyn is trying to end its six-game homestand with some winning performances and against the Milwaukee Bucks (31-48) on Tuesday, the Nets managed to play well during the clutch.
The Nets beat the Bucks 96-90 despite the fact that Milwaukee came back from a 16-point deficit to make the game interesting in the second half for the crowd at Barclays Center. Two-Way forward EJ Liddell had his best game of the season with 21 points and four rebounds while rookie guard Ben Saraf had 19 points and five rebounds as the starting point guard instead of fellow rookie Nolan Traore.
This game began in a fashion where Nets fans may have assumed that the Bucks were going to run away with the win as they built a nine-point lead in the first quarter thanks to hot shooting from players like guard AJ Green and center Jericho Sims. Brooklyn went into the second quarter leading Milwaukee 30-29 and from there, the Nets were able to depend on Liddell and Saraf to lead them to victory.
Both Brooklyn and Milwaukee shot similar percentages from the field and behind the three-point line as offense came at a premium, but the Nets were able to utilize their rim pressure to rack up easy points. The Bucks shot 5-of-8 from the free-throw line while Brooklyn shot 21-of-23, with Saraf accounting for a significant portion of the scoring from the charity stripe as he shot 9-of-10 from the foul line.
The Nets had their fair share of issues guarding Green (20 points, six rebounds) and forward Taurean Prince (16 points, 11 rebounds), but Brooklyn was able to make the plays in the clutch when they mattered the most. It was impressive to see the Nets earn this win given the amount of injuries hindering the rotation, but they will have to do it again on Thursday when they face the Indiana Pacers for the final home game of the season.
EJ Liddell Has Career-Best Game
Liddell has been one of the players that head coach Jordi Fernandez has been playing more towards the end of the season and he’s been catching his stride as of late. Against the Bucks sans Giannis Antetokounmpo, Liddell achieved a career-high 21 points and he did his damage in the paint and from behind the three-point line as the Two-Way forward heads into the offseason on a strong note.
Ben Saraf Continues To Make An Impact
Saraf had his best month of the season in March as he looked like he was making some progress in terms of his decision-making and his ability to read the court with the ball in his hands. In games like Tuesday’s matchup against Milwaukee, Saraf has to show that he’s capable of being one of the point guards in Fernandez’s rotation and 19 points and five rebounds should do the trick.
Nets Lottery Odds Watch
Heading into Wednesday’s slate of games, the Nets find themselves with the third-worst record in the league, but there is only 0.5 games separating them from the 21-59 Sacramento Kings, who have the fifth-worst record. Brooklyn is hoping to get the best odds possible in the 2026 NBA Draft, but if they fall to fifth place, they could end up with the ninth overall pick if they experience some bad luck.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: 3 Nets takeaways from 96-90 win over AJ Green, Bucks
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
