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NBA highlights on Feb. 6: Bucks blow Clippers with fast break tsunami
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Giannis Antetokounmpo (#34) of the Milwaukee Bucks drives in the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 6, 2022. /CFP

Giannis Antetokounmpo (#34) of the Milwaukee Bucks drives in the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 6, 2022. /CFP

The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Los Angeles Clippers 137-113 at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday to secure the third straight win. They now rank third in the Eastern Conference with a 34-21 record, only half a game away from the leading Miami Heat.

All five starters of the Bucks scored over 15 points, led by 28 by Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak also had 10 rebounds, five assists, one steal and two blocks. Jrue Holiday (27 points + 13 assists) and Bobby Portis (24 points +11 rebounds) got double-doubles as well.

Despite the big win, the Bucks were on the trailing side after the first quarter, in which the Clippers went 5-10 from downtown and kept charging the Bucks' paint with a fast break. By contrast, the Bucks missed 12 of their 17 jump shots, including seven 3-pointers.

Jrue Holiday (#21) of the Milwaukee Bucks shoots in the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 6, 2022. /CFP

Jrue Holiday (#21) of the Milwaukee Bucks shoots in the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 6, 2022. /CFP

However, despite such a disappointing shooting performance, the Bucks still scored 28 points in the first quarter. That revealed one cruel fact: the Clippers' league sixth-best defense couldn't contain the Bucks at all.

As a result, the Clippers' perimeter defensive line almost collapsed immediately when the Bucks began to drain more triples in the rest of the game (16-28). Moreover, as the Clippers couldn't score as efficiently as they did in Q1, they had to resist continuous waves of fast break launched by Antetokounmpo. Stats showed that the Bucks had 28 fast-break points, but that might not have covered everything.

Norman Powell (#24) of the Los Angeles Clippers dunks in the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 6, 2022. /CFP

Norman Powell (#24) of the Los Angeles Clippers dunks in the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 6, 2022. /CFP

Despite the loss, Sunday's game was a good test for the Clippers' newly-arrived Robert Covington and Norman Powell. Covington went 3-6 behind the arc to get 13 points. Powell started off the bench but managed to drop 28 points and four assists in less than 24 minutes. He led the team in field goal (FG) attempts (16), FGs made (nine), and free throws (6-7).

"They have a good thing going here; they fight, they compete. Like tonight, we fought, got it to single digits," Powell said. "I like that. I love a team that's like that. I'm a grinder; I think I fit perfectly here."

"Norm attacked the basket and Covington provided defense and energy. There are some things we have to tweak, but I thought they did a good job," Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said.

Nikola Jokic (#15) of the Denver Nuggets shoots in the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, U.S., February 6, 2022. /CFP

Nikola Jokic (#15) of the Denver Nuggets shoots in the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, U.S., February 6, 2022. /CFP

Nuggets extend Nets' losing-streak to eight games

The Denver Nuggets defeated the Brooklyn Nets 124-104 at Ball Arena on Sunday, ending their three-game losing streak.

Nikola Jokic scored his 14th triple-double, the most in the league this season, with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for the Nuggets. He left the stage for his teammates in the first quarter by passing the ball and setting screens. When he decided to take over via individual attack in the second and third quarters, Jokic was 10-12 in FGs to get 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

"We rebounded better in the second half, we made them take tough shots. The defense was much, much better," Jokic said.

The Nets relied on Kyrie Irving, who had 19 points and nine assists, and their unreasonable 3-point-shooting (12-24) to survive the first half (trailing 76-75), but when both started to freeze in the second half, the Nets were unable to keep up to the pace of the opponents, getting only 16 and 13 points in Q3 and Q4, respectively.

Kyrie Irving (#11) of the Brooklyn Nets drives toward the rim in the game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, U.S., February 6, 2022. /CFP

Kyrie Irving (#11) of the Brooklyn Nets drives toward the rim in the game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, U.S., February 6, 2022. /CFP

Having suffered their eighth consecutive loss, the Nets are currently No. 7 in the East, 3.5 games below the top 4 area and only 1.5 games above the ninth place, which will have to play two games in the play-in tournament for playoff qualification.

"We're not going to panic, there's still plenty of games after the all-star break when Kevin gets back," Nets head coach Steve Nash said. "Hopefully have Kevin and James. You're talking about five guys. That's your starting lineup, potentially."

To be specific, the Nets have another 29 games to play in the regular season, 13 of which are on the road but two are against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. That means Irving can only appear in 11 of them. Kevin Durant suffered the MCL sprain on January 15 and back then he was expected to recover in four to six weeks. Assuming he returns after the All-Star break, he will play another 23 games. The Nets were 27-16 before Durant's injury, which made their winning rate 62.8 percent. They will probably win 14 of those 23 games, hardly enough to make it back to top four in the East.

As for James Harden, it will be up to if you believe the Nets' claim of "he wants to be here."

Other games on Sunday (away teams come first):

Philadelphia 76ers 119-108 Chicago Bulls

Detroit Pistons 105-118 Minnesota Timberwolves

Indiana Pacers 85-98 Cleveland Cavaliers

Atlanta Hawks 94-103 Dallas Mavericks

New Orleans Pelicans 120-107 Houston Rockets

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