Brooklyn, New York – The Brooklyn Nets gutted out a win over the Milwaukee Bucks to take game one in the Eastern Conference semifinals on Saturday night.

Two of the three big stars in Brooklyn led the Nets to a 115-107 victory in the opener of the second-round playoff matchup against the Bucks.

James Harden (29), who has occasionally been bothered by a hamstring issue this year, had to leave the game almost as soon as he started it, opening the door for his teammates to step up to take the win.

NBA NBA MVP award finalists named as contenders battle it out for league honors

Kevin Durant led Brooklyn with 29 points, while Kyrie Irving had 25. Blake Griffin also showed up, proving that he’s still got what it takes to be one of the league’s better players with 18 points and a team-high 14 boards, while Joe Harris contributed 19 points.

This was an anticipated matchup of the league’s two highest-scoring teams, but the Nets came together to ensure that only Giannis Antetokounmpo would have a good game. His game-high 34 points wasn't enough for the Bucks to get the win though.

No other Buck on the team could break 20 points in the game, signs of a great defense that was able to take on a formidable foe.

With the first half being close between these two teams, the game really took off for the Nets in the second half with a mixture of defense and the entire team firing on all cylinders to bring home victory. Brooklyn only allowed Milwaukee to put up 23 points in both the third and fourth quarters, helping them hold a lead all the way to the end of the game.

The perimeter defense for the Nets really held up too, forcing the Bucks into hitting only six of 30 three-point shots taken. On the other hand, the bucks were a force in the paint scoring 72 of their total 107 points. But when you can’t hit much for those extra points, there are little odds for success.

Game 2 is back in Brooklyn on Monday night.