The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Brooklyn Nets 122-118 in three overtimes on Wednesday night. That part bears mentioning before we continue, and even repeating again – Milwaukee won this game. But if Brandon Knight had made a dead layup as the clock expired in the first extra period, the Bucks could’ve left Barclays Center a lot earlier.
With the score tied at 105-105 and game clock ticking to five seconds, Joe Johnson found himself double-teamed after receiving a screen from Brook Lopez. As Zaza Pachulia hounded the ball and Giannis Antetokounmpo frantically recovered, there was a split second that Lopez was open on a roll to the rim. But Johnson waited a beat too long, and Knight easily jumped in front of his pass and began the other way.
He catches the ball with just over four seconds remaining – ample time to complete a layup on the opposite end. Bojan Bogdanovic gave helpless chase to provide some intimidation, but this one was all on Knight:
That’s a tougher play than it looks. Knight has to have the presence of mind to know that he has plenty of time to take a comfortable layup while also realizing that Bogdanovic is essentially out of the play. And, you know, the game’s entire fate is in his hands.
That’s a lot to think about, and you can tell Knight is uncomfortable as he looks down at his dribble once he’s passed halfcourt. But is it a makable play? Of course. His teammates certainly thought so:
Knight rebounded quite nicely afterward. He hit a crucial three-pointer to tie the score with 19.6 seconds left in the second overtime, then iced Milwaukee’s win in the next session by knocking down a pair of free throws to make it a two-possession game with only five seconds remaining.
Here’s his game-tying three and ensuing reaction:
And this is what the Bucks’ bench thought of Knight’s heroics:
Pretty awesome all around. Milwaukee, by the way, is winner of three straight and sits at 7-5 on the season. Maybe Jason Kidd knew what he was doing by leaving the Nets after all.
What do you think?
Follow Jack on Twitter at @ArmstrongWinter.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.
