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 The veterans did just that Friday night, each scoring in double
figures for the first time this season to help lead the Nets to a
104-93 win over the Milwaukee Bucks at the Barclays Center on Friday
night.
"We need that every night for us to be a successful team," Terry
said. "That's our role and that's our job. Every night we're going
to put an emphasis on us shooting the ball well and making sure
we're in a good rhythm. I think this was the first game in a long
time since that happened."
Pierce had 13 points, Garnett had 10 points and five rebounds and
Terry scored nine of his 12 points off the bench in the third
quarter, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range to give Brooklyn a
76-60 lead entering the fourth quarter.
In his first start since a win at Milwaukee on Dec. 7, guard Shaun
Livingston scored a game-high 20 points, had six assists and grabbed
five rebounds.
"Losing is not something that we're getting comfortable with,"
Garnett said. "Tonight was definitely, come out here, let's get a
win and try to change the momentum around here."
It was a big victory for Brooklyn (10-19), which snapped a four-game
losing streak heading into a brutal road-trip that includes games at
Indiana, San Antonio and Oklahoma City.
"We're just trying to gather some confidence," Pierce said. "Going
into the New Year we know we have a tough road trip coming up, about
as tough as its going to get in a three-game road trip. You've got
the top three teams in the league so it's important for us to at
least get a win before we head out on this tough road trip."
Forward Mirza Teletovic scored a career-high 19 points, including
5-of-9 from 3-point range, while also grabbing six rebounds for
Brooklyn, which led by as many as 23 in the fourth quarter.
"His comfort level and confidence is extremely high," Nets coach
Jason Kidd said. "He's getting shots. Guys are finding him, but he's
not just relying on the 3-point shot. He's putting the ball on the
floor making plays for his teammates."
The Nets raced out to an early lead on a 9-0 run and took a 31-18
advantage into the second quarter thanks to a turnaround 11-foot
buzzer-beating jumper by guard Deron Williams.
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It was the largest lead after one quarter this season for the
Nets, who shot 63.2 percent (12-of-19) from the field. The
Bucks, who have lost seven of their last eight games, including
three in in overtime, shot just 29.2 percent (7-of-24) in the
opening 12 minutes.
"I thought it was the first quarter that really buried us and
set the tone," Bucks coach Larry Drew said. "We didn't play with
a lot of energy. We gave up 31 points in that first quarter,
which is way, way too much when you're on the road."
A bright spot for Milwaukee (6-23) was the play of rookie
swingman Giannis Antetokounmpo. The 19-year-old from Greece
scored a team-high 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his
first career double-double in his fifth start.
Center Larry Sanders also made his return to the lineup for the
first time since tearing ligaments in his right thumb Nov. 3. He
had 10 points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes before fouling
out in the fourth quarter.
"I just wanted to go out there and run," Sanders said. "You see
when you are hurt that you take things for granted sometimes and
I just want to be around my teammates and play ball."
NOTES: Nets coach Jason Kidd said F/C Andre Blatche will miss
the next four games because of personal reasons. ... Out with
injuries for the Nets were F Andrei Kirilenko (back spasms) and
Brook Lopez (fractured right foot). ... The Nets used their 13th
different starting lineup of the season, matching the total of
the entire 2012-13 season. ... Returning to the Bucks lineup
were F Ersan Ilyasova, who started after missing the last three
games with a sore right ankle, and C Larry Sanders, who tore
ligaments in his right thumb on Nov. 3. ... G/F Carlos Delfino
(post-surgery, right foot) and C Zaza Pachulia (fractured right
foot) were out for the Bucks. ... The Nets head to Indiana for
the opener of a three-game road trip on Saturday night against
the Pacers. ... The Bucks return to Milwaukee to host the
Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night before a three-game
West Coast trip.
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