Giannis and the Milwaukee Bucks had no answer for the Brooklyn Nets. James Harden left the game in the first minute with a hamstring injury.
Follow Us
The Brooklyn Nets lost James Harden to a hamstring injury in the opening minute of Game 1 of their best of seven series against the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. It was Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving who led the Nets to a 115-107 victory at Barclays Center.
25 PTS // 8 AST // 5 REB
? @KyrieIrving ? pic.twitter.com/Hr88xARtdG
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) June 6, 2021
After Harden ruled out after an early hamstring injury, it was Irving, Durant and Blake Griffin who picked up the slack. The trio combined for 72 points, 29 rebounds and 14 assists to lead Brooklyn. In the end, the Nets production coupled with their supporting cast proving to be too much for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks to overcome.
On the Nets first possession, James Harden drove to the basket and kicked the ball out to Joe Harris. It was a normal enough play, but unfortunately it didn’t end well for the former MVP. Harden came up hobbling, and immediately left the game to head to the locker room.
A short time later, the Nets announced that Harden was out for the remainder of the game with a hamstring injury. He had left the arena to go and get an MRI, which will determine the severity of the problem.
Harden missed over a month with a hamstring strain, and only returned a few games before the end of the regular season. If he’s going to miss time again, that’s obviously bad news for the Nets.
BLAKE DOESN’T QUIT ? pic.twitter.com/Y7dx0gUqzW
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) June 6, 2021
Blake Griffin stepped up for the Nets in a major way. He finished with 18 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and two steals. He went 4 for 9 from downtown to punish the Bucks’ scheme in pick and rolls and made two hustle plays that got the Brooklyn crowd on its feet.
BLAKE ‼️ pic.twitter.com/a2tBU5lquX
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) June 6, 2021
Griffin outplayed both Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday in this game and if that happens again moving forward, the Bucks have no chance.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez absolutely feasted around the basket. Both combined for 53 points on 24 for 35 from the field, and pretty much matched Durant and Irving. Unfortunately for the Bucks, no one else showed up on the offensive end.
Giannis in Game 1:
34 PTS | 11 REB | 4 AST | 2 BLK pic.twitter.com/CgReUWEYJ5
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) June 6, 2021
The Bucks as a team went 6 for 30 from three-point land.
It was a rough night for Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. They did impact the game in other areas besides scoring, but against the Nets you need your best players to score points. They only scored 30 points on 13 of 42 from the field.
With the win, Brooklyn jumps out to a 1-0 lead in the series. Game 2 will be played on Monday.
