3 Nets takeaways from 125-108 loss to AJ Green, Bucks

The Brooklyn Nets (20-61) have been in evaluation mode since the team was officially eliminated from the NBA playoffs and along the way, they are looking to finish the season strong. Brooklyn will be spending its last two games on the road before ending the 2025-26 campaign, but the Milwaukee Bucks (32-49) were determined to make this road trip start off horribly for the Nets.

The Nets lost to the Bucks on Friday 125-108 as Brooklyn couldn't get anything going on the defensive end of the floor and Milwaukee made them pay for it. Two-Way guard Tyson Etienne had one of his best games of the season as he dropped 23 points and four rebounds while guard Malachi Smith notched his first double-double of 19 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists.

The Nets began this game on the wrong end as they ended the first quarter trailing the Bucks 38-24 as Milwaukee guard Cormac Ryan went off for 18 points in the period. Not only did Brooklyn picked the worst time to not be able to defend Milwaukee, but they also did not show up on the offensive end as they shot just 33.3% from the field and 30.8% from behind the three-point line.

While the Nets fell behind by as many as 23 points in this game, Brooklyn was able to close the gap at certain points during the second and third quarters thanks to their improved shooting from players like Etienne and Smith. Rookie guard Ben Saraf, who is one of the players being evaluated heading into a huge offseason for the Nets, scored 15 points and dished out three assists in 41 minutes of playing time.

In the end, the Nets struggled to limit Milwaukee's impact at the three-point line as they shot 24-of-48 (50.0%) from deep, led by guard AJ Green and his 33 points (11 made three-pointers). The Nets have one game left on their schedule with Sunday's game at the Toronto Raptors and Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez is probably hoping that the matchup with Toronto will go better than this contest in Milwaukee.

Tyson Etienne Making The Most Of His Opportunity

Etienne has been one of the players seeing more playing time since the franchise was officially eliminated from the playoffs amidst dealing with some injuries that affected the rotation. After dropping 23 points at the Bucks on Friday, Etienne is now averaging 13.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 37.5% from the field and 36.7% from three-point land in April.

Malachi Smith Notches First Double-Double Of Career

Smith has experience plenty of firsts this season as he went from signing two 10-day contracts to earning a multi-year contract and now, he has achieved the first double-double of his career. Smith dropped 19 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists in 43 minutes against the Bucks and he is likely making a strong impression on Brooklyn's coaching staff heading into the offseason.

Ben Saraf Has Another Solid Game

Saraf is one of the players that the Nets are trying to evaluate before this season comes to a close and it seems that he is benefitting from the extra playing time that allows him to play through some of his mistakes. Saraf finished this contest with 15 points and three assists, giving him averages of 13.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 41.7% from the floor and 20.0% from behind the three-point line.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: 3 Nets takeaways from 125-108 loss to AJ Green, Bucks