The Nets will have to wait a bit longer for revenge.

In a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals, the Bucks picked up where they left off with a 127-104 victory over Brooklyn. It was a game Milwaukee led nearly wire-to-wire as the team flashed its championship-winning chemistry.

The overreactions will be plentiful after one game, but the Bucks flat-out looked good. Milwaukee led by as many as 23 points with a balanced contribution of six players scoring in double figures

The Nets, meanwhile, did not have the luxury of offensive depth. Kevin Durant and James Harden made up for 52 of Brooklyn’s 104 points, while Patty Mills accounted for all but four of the team’s bench points. 

Durant and Harden did help the Nets stay within striking distance at times, including a strong second quarter that cut the deficit to just five. But the Bucks out-scored Brooklyn 61-45 in the second half to keep the upper hand. 

Mills was one of the positives of the night for Brooklyn as he shot a perfect 7-of-7 from beyond the arc. He was an early and reliable source of offense when the Nets fell behind quickly in the first quarter.

Steve Nash stuck with a 10-man rotation through the majority of the night, leaving a notable omission of Bruce Brown on the bench. Maybe adjustments will be made, but it was odd to see Brown only get garbage minutes. 

Sloppiness struck the Nets with the Bucks scoring 22 points off Brooklyn’s 12 turnovers. Meanwhile, the Bucks turned it over just seven times while showing more hustle and grit. 

It was a lackluster debut for Brooklyn. Durant and Harden played to expectations, and Mills proved himself to be a top acquisition, but the rest of the roster largely fell flat. 

Again, it’s too early for any large takeaways, but the Nets got a wake-up call with the first taste of their top Eastern competition. Let’s see how they match up with another top Eastern competitor in the Sixers on Friday.