The Brooklyn Nets fell 129-125 to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks Monday at Barclays Center. Off the heels of a loss to the league-leading Boston Celtics on Saturday, Brooklyn led for the majority of the game against Milwaukee before a late surge handed them their second consecutive loss.

Here are three takeaways from the last-second defeat:

Nets continue to push the pace

The Nets entered Monday's game second in the NBA in fastbreak points at 20.7 per game. With Nic Claxton sidelined, they continued to take advantage of their small-ball lineup's speed against a Milwaukee frontcourt with three near-seven footers in Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis. Brooklyn scored 20 fastbreak points to Milwaukee's 11.

With four shooters in nearly every lineup combination, the Nets attempted 45 threes in the loss after putting up a season-high 52 against Boston. Brooklyn's pace and three-point volume shouldn't slow down anytime soon, with Claxton expected to be sidelined for at least the near future.

Cam Thomas and Mikal Bridges carry the offense

The past three Nets seasons were headlined by an elite scoring duo in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. In the first season of the post-Durant-Irving era, a new lead-scoring duo has emerged: Cam Thomas and Mikal Bridges.

While Bridges or Thomas have led Brooklyn in nearly every game this season, they had yet to find their rhythm alongside one another entering the Bucks matchup, which felt like the pairing's coming out party. Thomas led all scorers with 45 points on 17-of-33 shooting, while Bridges poured in 31 points on 12-of-21 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line.

Bridges and Thomas scored or assisted on 93 of Brooklyn's 125 points while committing just two turnovers. The main criticism of the new-look Nets entering the viability of their halfcourt offense. Those concerns have been quelled with a new go-to offensive duo emerging.

Nets can't stop Bucks' Big 3 late

One central question for Brooklyn after trading Durant and Irving last season has carried over to 2023-24: Will they be able to close games against teams with elite offensive players?

Like their first two games of the season against Donovan Mitchell and Luka Doncic, the answer against the Bucks was no. After falling behind by nine early in the fourth quarter, the Nets fought back to take a 3-point lead with 5:33 remaining. From that point on, Milwaukee's big three of Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton combined to score 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.

The Nets got the ball back tied with 2:33 remaining, but Thomas missed a stepback three. Antetokounmpo drove and spun for an uncontested dunk on the other end to give the Bucks the lead. Thomas and Bridges would score on Brooklyn's next two possessions. However, Middleton and Antetokounmpo answered with buckets after each to maintain the Milwaukee lead.

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The Nets would finally get a defensive stop down two with 3o seconds remaining. Off the rebound, Ben Simmons fired a get-ahead pass to Dorian Finney-Smith, who could not finish at the rim, giving the ball and control of the game back to the Bucks.

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Bridges and Thomas showed late-game promise as a high-level offensive duo on Monday. However, it wasn't enough against the star power of Milwaukee, who made one more shot down the stretch. The Nets' depth and defensive versatility should put them in plenty more tight games this season, but Monday's outcome may become a recurring theme for a team with new lead scorers finding their footing in clutch moments.