Bucks win in 3 OTs, extend Nets' losing streak to 5

Jason Kidd's return was the big story at Barclays Center Wednesday night, but there was still the matter of a basketball game to be played between the Nets and Kidd's Milwaukee Bucks. Besides wanting to beat their former coach, the Nets had a losing streak they were desperate to stop.

After three overtimes, Kidd had the last laugh, guiding his surprising Bucks to a 122-118 victory that extended the Nets' slump to five games.

After a back-and-forth game, the Nets (4-7) were down two and without the ball, but had a chance to tie or go ahead after the Bucks turned it over on a 5-second call when Ersan Ilyasova couldn't inbound the ball with 15.5 seconds remaining.

Joe Johnson, who missed the potential winning shot at the end of the second overtime, missed a 20-footer from the right wing that would have tied the score at 120. Brandon Knight's two free throws with 5.6 seconds left iced it.

"We were ahead, we were behind,'' Nets coach Lionel Hollins said. "It looked like we were gonna win. It looked like we were gonna lose. It was a hard-fought contest, and our guys battled. We had our share of opportunities to win . . . and ultimately we didn't.''

The Bucks should have won at the end of the first overtime. After exchanging leads for the entire fourth quarter and overtime, Knight stole a pass from Johnson intended for Brook Lopez and raced toward an unguarded basket with time running down. But with the Nets' Bojan Bogdanovic giving chase, Knight missed a gimme layup and the horn sounded as the ball bounded off the rim with the score tied at 105.

"I thought it was our game when he missed that layup,'' Bogdanovic said, "but unfortunately not.''

Knight would redeem himself by hitting the three that tied it at 112 and forced the third overtime after Johnson's miss at the second OT's buzzer.

Finally, in the third overtime, Ilyasova made the first two baskets and the Nets were playing catchup after that. A three-pointer by Bogdanovic (19 points) kept them in the game, but they never could catch up. Bogdanovic had the ball again with a great look at a top left three-pointer with the Nets down 120-118 with 19 seconds left, but the ball went in and out.

Lopez led the Nets with 26 points, plus seven rebounds and three blocks. Rookie Jabari Parker led Milwaukee with 23, and O.J. Mayo added 21.