Lopez dominates Bucks, Nets win 90-82

The Nets don't have much going for them these days, but they do have one thing - Brook Lopez.

And in this game, that was more than enough.

Lopez shredded the Bucks for 32 points - fighting through constant double-teams to shoot 11 for 13 and burying 10 of his 11 FT as the Nets won their sixth game of the season and stayed comfortably ahead of the basement-dwelling Bucks.

At 290 pounds, Lopez outweighs Bucks starting center John Henson (18 points, 7 rebounds) by approximately the size of a healthy 4th grader - and even with the help of marginally more massive men like Ekpe Udoh and Ersan Ilyasova, the Bucks were unable to stop the hulking, sweet-shooting Nets big man.

"My guys just did a good job of moving without the ball, cutting, setting screens and occupying other men on the floor to keep me open." said Lopez, crediting his teammates for his success. "Like they always do, they gave me great passes so I could get easy looks inside."

Lopez also added 4 assists to his gaudy stat line.

"Brook's making all the right plays." said coach Jason Kidd. "He's letting guys get to their spots and guys are knocking down shots, and so at some point he'll see a little bit more of the single coverage where he feels comfortable."

Despite 20 1st half points for Lopez, the Nets trailed by one at the half as the rest of the Nets shot a meager 7-31.

But the Nets reversed their normal course and came out strong in the 3rd - outscoring the Bucks 26-19 and taking control of the contest.

In the 4th, Brooklyn was able to stop the Bucks despite some tough play from guard OJ Mayo (20 points, 5 assists).  They also got offensive contributions from Reggie Evans, Kevin Garnett and Joe Johnson - who used his own size advantage to attack the Bucks small backcourt.

The win took the Nets to within 2.5 games of the 1st place Celtics and the Eastern Conference's 4th seed.

• Box Score - NBA.com
• Nets vs. Bucks (Video) - NBA.com
• Henson's Sick Putback (Video) - NBA.com
• Henson Gets Physical (Video) - NBA.com
• Batted by Henson (Video) - NBA.com
• Brook Lopez Posterizes Ekpe Udoh With Reverse Slam (Video) - Devin Kharpertian - The Brooklyn Game
• #BKConnect: Can Joe & Pierce Coexist? Plus Frank's Dismissal, Fearza's Emergence (Video) - Rod Boone & Devin Kharpertian - YES Network via The Brooklyn Game
• Kidd on the Nets' win vs. Bucks (Video) - YES Network
• Anderson on the Nets' victory (Video) - Sarah Kustok - YES Network
• Lopez on his performance in win (Video) - Sarah Kustok - YES Network
• Lopez leads Nets to 90-82 win at Bucks - AP
• In a Battle of the Lowly, the Nets Come Out on Top - Ben Strauss - AP
  
• Rapid Reaction: Nets 90, Bucks 82 - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
• Brook-lyn comes through to beat Bucks - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
• Brook Lopez posts 32 points as Nets top Bucks - Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News
  
• Nets’ Freshman Coach Already on the Hot Seat - Benjamin Hoffman - New York Times
  
• Brook Lopez scores 32 to lead Nets to much-needed win - Rod Boone - Newsday
• Lopez leads Nets past Bucks - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
• Nets’ Deron on track to play Tuesday - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
• Brook Lopez (32 points) powers Nets past Bucks, 90-82 - Andy Vasquez - The Record
• Nets notes: Paul Pierce may shoot for earlier return - Andy Vasquez - The Record
  
• Final Score: Nets 90, Bucks 82 - John Paoloantonio - SNY Nets
• Bouncing Back: Nets 90, Bucks 82 (GAME GRADES) - Devin Kharpertian - The Brooklyn Game
• Nets take down cellar dwellers in first step - Devin Kharpertian - The Brooklyn Game
• Nets 90, Bucks 82 - Nets' Brook Lopez scores 32 to dominate Bucks - Charles F. Gardner - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
• Lopez leads Nets to 90-82 win over Bucks - Racine Journal-Times