E.J. Liddell lifts Nets past Bucks, 96-90

C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News on Apr 7, 2026

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NEW YORK — Good for E.J. Liddell. Not great for the tank.

With Brooklyn’s injury list still swallowing half the rotation and the draft lottery picture tightening by the day, Liddell used Tuesday night as a personal argument. The two-way forward delivered a career-high 21 points in his second start of the season, and the Nets beat the Milwaukee Bucks 96-90 at Barclays Center to improve to 20-59.

The win kept Brooklyn in third place in the draft lottery standings, per Tankathon, but it also continued the late-season squeeze. With three games left, the Nets are losing ground on the Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings in the race for the best odds, even as individual players keep stacking auditions that matter to their futures, whether that’s in Brooklyn or elsewhere.

Liddell’s night started fast and never really slowed down. In an opening quarter played by two undermanned teams, he poured in 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting in his first 12 minutes, setting the tone for a Nets group that came in looking to win the possession game. Milwaukee shot 64.7% in the first quarter, but Brooklyn stayed attached by forcing six turnovers while committing only one of its own. Ben Saraf, making his first start since March 25, added eight early points, and the Nets closed the quarter on a 10-0 run to take a 30-29 lead into the second.

Brooklyn played without Ziaire Williams, Noah Clowney, Terance Mann, Nic Claxton, Michael Porter Jr., Danny Wolf, Egor Dëmin and Day’Ron Sharpe. Milwaukee sat Kevin Porter Jr., Gary Trent Jr., Bobby Portis, Kyle Kuzma, Ryan Rollins, Myles Turner and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Neither side shot it well in the second quarter, but Brooklyn remained in control because it kept Milwaukee cold and created extra possessions. The Nets held the Bucks to 28.6% shooting in the period while hitting 3 of 5 from 3-point range, as Milwaukee went 1for 12. Brooklyn also forced five more turnovers, and Liddell kept stacking points, adding five more in the quarter to take his total to a career-high 17 points in his first 15 minutes alone. The Nets went into halftime up 49-43.

Nolan Traoré played only five minutes in the first half, while Josh Minott and Ochai Agbaji never got off the bench. It didn’t stop the Nets from controlling the first 24 minutes, mostly because they kept taking care of the ball and kept forcing the Bucks into mistakes.

Brooklyn built a lead that reached 16 points in the third quarter despite shooting only 36.8% in the period, but seven turnovers opened the door for Milwaukee to climb back into it. Drake Powell provided a needed lift, scoring six of his 11 points in the quarter and helping Brooklyn keep a cushion. The Nets still carried a 70-62 lead into the fourth, but the comfort was gone.

Milwaukee made the final minutes uncomfortable, trimming the lead to one with 2:28 left. Brooklyn didn’t panic. Tyson Etienne scored, then Powell followed with another bucket, and that two-possession response was enough to close the game out.

Saraf finished as Brooklyn’s second-leading scorer behind Liddell with 19 points, five rebounds and two assists. On the Milwaukee side, AJ Green led five Bucks players in double figures with 20 points and six rebounds.

The Nets will play their final home game of the season Thursday against the Indiana Pacers at Barclays Center.

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