Brooklyn Nets forward Bruce Brown was playing terrific in Game 3 on Thursday. Until he didn't. Brown missed the Nets' last two attempts, allowing the Milwaukee Bucks to escape with a pulsating 86-83 win.

Brown tried to take matters into his own hands by taking the last two shots of the Nets. This despite main man Kevin Durant heating up in the final minutes. Brown, however, may have been affected by some injury after he was seen grimacing in pain after a rebound play in the dying minutes.

After the game, Nets coach Steve Nash gave a short answer on Brown's status (via The Athletic's Alex Schiffer).

The question now is: Is Nash fine? They clearly had a golden chance to take a commanding 3-0 lead against the Bucks, but they executed horribly in their final few possessions. It's safe to assume that Nash didn't draw the final two plays for Brown, who got blasted on social media for his hero-ball attempts.

Credit, however, also goes to the tight defense of the Bucks, preventing Durant or Kyrie Irving, or even Joe Harris to get the ball and bail out the Nets. Hence, the 24-year-old Brown was forced to take the crucial shots.

For what it's worth, Brown actually had a solid Game 3, finishing with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds in close to 38 minutes. He also bodied up Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo. So one could argue he simply ran out of steam in the end.

Bruce Brown has definitely been a key cog for the Nets all season. While his late-game blunders were a bitter pill to swallow, his health moving forward will be important for the squad.