MILWAUKEE — The Nets aren’t deluding themselves that a regular-season escape over the Bucks — minus Giannis Antetokounmpo — means anything for a potential playoff rematch in a week. That’s a Buck of a different color.
“They didn’t have Giannis. That was the difference. I’m not going to put it on anything else,” D’Angelo Russell said. “When you’ve got a player like Giannis out there, for any team it’s going to be different.”
Coach Kenny Atkinson said it didn’t give the Nets any more confidence going into a potential first-round date with the top-seeded Bucks.
“No,” he said. “I just think they’re that good. It doesn’t. We needed it. It’s in its own little context here. We know if we have to face them in the playoffs, it’s a monumental task.”
But it’s a huge step toward getting there. The Nets now are in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and 1 ½ games clear of the Heat for the final spot.
Jared Dudley, who was on the Bucks when they started their climb from the cellar, sees the Nets mirroring that ascension.
“It was very similar, a very similar team,” he said. “They were one of the worst teams in the NBA and went to the playoffs, and that’s what we’re trying to do here. My role is very similar. A lot of comparisons from this team to that team.”
The Bucks were 15-67 before Dudley’s arrival, but went 41-41 and made the postseason in his first season as the Greek Freak took a huge jump. The Nets were 28-54 last season, but are 40-40 as they try aim for their first postseason berth since 2015.
Dudley played a major role Saturday. When the Bucks went five-out minus Antetokounmpo, Atkinson matched up with Dudley playing a small-ball center to space the floor.
It worked. Dudley poured in 16 points, six boards and going 6-for-6 from the line, all tying or matching season-highs. He finished a game-high plus-19.
“We wanted to make them uncomfortable, playing me a little more at center, having [Brook] Lopez guard a little bit more,” said Dudley, who didn’t mind playing a stretch five. “It depends on who I’m guarding. If it’s Lopez, I don’t mind that. … You try to get the spacing. For us to be able to do that, I have to make shots, our guards have to hit 3s.”
It worked.
“Big time. When you have a player like that that knows the game, that’s been around legendary players, it grows on you,” Russell said. “He picks the game apart mentally. … That’s why his plus-minus is what it is. That’s why he gets easy layups. He makes it easy for us.”
After 25 points and 10 assists Saturday, Russell has 1,671 points and 552 assists on the year. He’s the first Net to top 1,650 points and 500 assists in a season. … The Nets’ eight scorers in double-figures tied a season-high.
