Milwaukee Bucks stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard were in street clothes on Thursday, which gave the short-handed Nets a major tactical advantage in their first trip to Fiserv Forum this season.

While Brooklyn struggled from the field early, the team was at its best on offense when it mattered most and held on to defeat the Bucks, 111-105. It snapped a two-game losing streak and improved the Nets to 12-18 this season.

Dorian Finney-Smith was ruled out before tipoff because of a left calf contusion. Cam Thomas (left hamstring strain) and Ziaire Williams (left knee sprain) also remained out.

Despite shooting just 36% from the field in the first quarter and allowing Milwaukee to shoot 57.9%, the Nets led 27-25 entering the second quarter because they were able to get up six extra shot attempts. They forced seven turnovers in the period and snatched five offensive rebounds off the glass.

Strangely enough, it was the third time this season the Nets and Bucks tallied a score of 27-25 after one quarter of action. Cam Johnson threw down a nasty dunk over Brook Lopez with 5:02 left in the period and took a nastier fall. The forward was able to walk it off and return to play.

Lopez got his revenge in the second quarter, though. The Ex-Net poured in 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting in the period (3-of-3 shooting from deep), including a ridiculous heat-check from the Fiserv Forum logo that put Milwaukee up 38-31 with 8:01 left in the half. All three of his treys in the period came in a minute-and-a-half span, which helped the Bucks outscore Brooklyn 34-24 in the period to take a 59-51 lead at halftime.

The Nets were shooting just 40% from the field and 26% from deep at halftime. They did enjoy a 56.2% shooting effort in the third quarter, fueled by Johnson and Noah Clowney, which cut their deficit to six entering the final frame.

It was all Nets in the fourth quarter, when they went 11 for 19 from the field, 7 for 11 from deep, and outscored Milwaukee 35-23. Reserve guard Shake Milton scored 14 of his 20 points in the period and Johnson added 10, including a four-point play which gave Brooklyn a seven-point edge with 49.7 seconds left.

Johnson, continuing his torrid scoring month, finished with a game-high 29 points and added five rebounds and three assists. Clowney extended his career-best streak of consecutive games in double figures to four after a 20-point night. The second-year forward went 6 for 9 from distance and has buried 10 treys over his last two appearances.

Keep in mind, Clowney does not turn 21 until July 14.

Brooklyn will return to action on Friday against Victor Wembanyama, Chris Paul and the San Antonio Spurs at Barclays Center.

©2024 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.