With the Brooklyn Nets season coming to an end, the focus remained where it’s been for weeks, months, maybe even years… the tank.
On Friday, unlike many recent outings, Brooklyn came out on the “right” side of that battle. They lost 125-108 at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks, who have been playing with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The underdog Nets dropped to 20-61 with one game remaining, and hold the NBA’s third-worst record. However, the Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz are still in action on the west
coast. More on that soon.
Onto the game…
With a whopping ten players ruled out and Brooklyn’s draft positioning more important than ever, the Nets rolled out a starting lineup featuring a flurry of players who have spent much of the season in the G League, opening with Malachi Smith, Trevon Scott, E.J. Liddell, Tyson Etienne, and Ben Saraf.
For Etienne and Scott, Friday marked the second NBA start of their careers, while Smith made his third. Ultimately, the team went just seven players deep. Nolan Traoré and Jalen Wilson were the team’s lone bench players, and every starter logged over 30 minutes. Smith led the way with 43 minutes.
After scoring 19 points in each of his last two outings, Saraf stayed hot and finished with 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field — 3-of-9 from three. Traoré poured in 14 points throughout just 16 minutes, though he did so on 5-of-14 shooting from the field (1-of-9 from three). Oof.
Milwaukee stormed out to an early 21-6 advantage, opening up the half by shooting 8-of-11 from the floor and 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. Brooklyn, meanwhile, stumbled out of the gate at just 2-of-10 shooting, showing similar bad habits as they did on Thursday night’s start against Indiana.
By the end of the first quarter, the Nets trailed 38-24. Tyson Etienne kept the game within reach with 15 points to go along with four rebounds and two assists.
Cormac Ryan led the way for Milwaukee with 18 points and three rebounds in the first half, en route to a career-high 28 points in the victory. He is, in theory, Brooklyn Nets fans’ biggest ally at the moment.
By halftime, the Nets cut a 21-point deficit to 12. They caught fire from deep in the second quarter, knocking down six of 10 attempts from beyond the arc. Then, the 12-point deficit only turned to 15 after the third… and no run followed in the fourth.
Just two minutes into the fourth quarter, E.J. Liddell was ejected after appearing to strike Jericho Sims in the face with his forearm during an altercation. Is it fitting? The Nets go down fighting. Just not on the scoreboard.
One game left!
📣 Milestone Watch: Tyson Etienne
Tyson Etienne logged 15 points in the first quarter tonight against Milwaukee, which is his most points in any career quarter or half. He has already tied his career high with four 3-pointers made (4-for-6). His career high in scoring was 18 points on 3/23/26 at Portland.
🏟️ Friday’s Fan Appreciation Night
Judging from the Nets social media page, it appears they continued the tradition of having players meeting with season ticket holders after the final regular season game.
➡️ Next Up: The End
Closing out the 2025-26 season, the Nets will face off against the 45-36 Raptors in Toronto. Tip-off is set for 6:00 PM ET on Sunday.
