Brooklyn, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Shaun Livingston banked 20 points to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 104-93 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks from Barclays Center.
Livingston, who had scored just 19 points over his last six games, also added six assists and five rebounds as Brooklyn snapped a four-game losing skid.
Mirza Teletovic made five triples en route to 19 points off the bench, while Paul Pierce and Jason Terry contributed 13 and 12 points, respectively. Teletovic has 14 treys in his last four tilts.
The Nets are back in action on Saturday when they open a three-game road trip in Indiana. Brooklyn will also meet San Antonio and Oklahoma City during the swing. The combined record of the three opponents is 70-17.
"That's about as tough as its going to get," said Nets forward Paul Pierce. "You've got the top three teams in the league. It was important for us to try and at least get a win before we head out on this tough road trip."
Giannis Antetokounmpo notched career highs with 16 points and 10 rebounds to pace Milwaukee, which has dropped seven of eight. Khris Middleton chipped in 15 points and O.J. Mayo had 13 off the bench.
"We just have to be better," said Milwaukee head coach Larry Drew. "On the road we have to have more of a road mentality. We've got to be a little bit more selective with our shots. We can't turn the basketball over and we have to control the boards."
Larry Sanders totaled 10 points, seven rebounds and six fouls in his return to the Bucks lineup after missing 25 games with a broken right thumb.
Brooklyn asserted itself early on and led 31-18 after the first period. Williams scored all nine of his points in the frame and put a fake on Nate Wolters before knocking down a turn-around jumper as the buzzer sounded. The Nets made 12-of-19 shots in the initial 12 minutes.
The lead ballooned to 19 points on consecutive Teletovic 3s early in the second period.
Brooklyn took a 48-37 edge into the locker room and never looked back, extending its cushion to 76-60 after three and 87-64 3:23 into the fourth before coasting to the finish line.
Game Notes
Prior to the game, Nets coach Jason Kidd announced that big man Andray Blatche (personal reasons) will miss the next four games ... Reggie Evans had a game- high 13 rebounds off the bench for Brooklyn.
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