The Brooklyn Nets look to rebound from a narrow opening loss to Sacramento as they take on the Milwaukee Bucks in Sunday’s California Classic matchup. Brooklyn will aim to clean up turnovers, build on strong defense, and avoid an 0-2 start in Summer League play.
The Brooklyn Nets will look to bounce back and avoid an 0-2 start at the California Classic when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday afternoon. Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m. ET, with Brooklyn hoping to rebound after Saturday's heartbreaking 79-76 loss to the Sacramento Kings. Fans can stream the game live on Prime Video, ESPN+, NBA TV, NBA League Pass, and the Gotham Sports App.
Brooklyn will once again be without Danny Wolf and Mikel Brown Jr. against Milwaukee. Wolf continues to deal with lower back soreness, while Summer League head coach Dutch Gaitley said Brown is "slated to be ready to play on Monday." The Nets will once again look for others to step up with two of their top players unavailable.
Milwaukee enters Sunday's matchup with momentum after defeating the Golden State Warriors Blue team 97-83 in its California Classic opener. Brandon Boston Jr. led the Bucks with 17 points, while Bogoljub Marković added 16. Kira Lewis Jr. chipped in 14 points, and Cormac Ryan finished with 13 as Milwaukee shot an efficient 52.1% from the field. The Bucks also controlled the glass, outrebounding Golden State 43-31. Brooklyn was equally impressive on the boards in its opener, winning the rebounding battle 50-33 against Sacramento, and will look to carry that same effort into Sunday's matchup.
If the Nets want to earn their first Summer League victory, limiting turnovers will be at the top of the priority list. Brooklyn committed 20 turnovers in Saturday's loss, repeatedly giving Sacramento easy transition opportunities that helped fuel its comeback. Cleaning up those mistakes will be essential against a Bucks team that capitalized on extra possessions throughout its opener.
The Nets will also be looking for a stronger performance from Drake Powell after the rookie endured a difficult debut. Powell finished with just four points while shooting 0-for-9 from the field, never finding an offensive rhythm despite getting quality looks. Brooklyn remains confident in Powell’s ability, and Sunday's matchup presents an opportunity for him to quickly put his first outing behind him.
While the offense left plenty to be desired, Brooklyn's defensive effort was one of the biggest positives from Saturday's loss. The Nets held Sacramento to just 28-of-75 (37.3%) shooting from the field and an impressive 5-of-27 (18.5%) from beyond the arc, consistently making life difficult for the Kings in the halfcourt. If Brooklyn can bring that same physicality and defensive intensity against Milwaukee while cleaning up its turnovers and generating more consistent offense, it should put itself in a much stronger position to come away with a win.
With two games remaining in the California Classic after Sunday's contest, the Nets know avoiding an 0-2 start would be an important step before heading to Las Vegas for NBA Summer League later this week. Sunday's matchup presents an opportunity to clean up the mistakes from the opener, build momentum, and earn Brooklyn's first win of the summer.
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