Bucks escape with tight win over Celtics
Series evened at 2-2 after 104-102 victory
MILWAUKEE • After seeing a 20-point second half lead slip away, Giannis Antetokounmpo came up with a huge play in the final seconds to save the Milwaukee Bucks from a devastating loss.
Eric Bledsoe passed the ball right from the perimeter on Milwaukee’s final possession. Antetokounmpo moved down low to the left side of the basket and Malcolm Brogdon came across the lane for a driving hook shot in traffic that hit the rim.
The 6-foot-11 Antetokounmpo was in perfect position to reach over Boston’s Jayson Tatum to tip in the miss for the go-ahead basket with five seconds left for a 104-102 win on Sunday over the Boston Celtics. Their first-round playoff series is tied at two games apiece.
“It’s a heck of play,” coach Joe Prunty said.
Antetokounmpo finished with 27 points, while Khris Middleton added 23. Middleton also played in-your-face defence in the final seconds on Marcus Morris, forcing the Boston forward to miss a 14-footer at the buzzer.
The Bucks’ two best players made the crucial plays to hold on for a tense victory, another sign of maturity for one of the league’s up-andcoming teams.
Game 5 is Tuesday in Boston.
“One of the most important things that we can carry from this game moving forward is that we stayed disciplined and we trusted one another,” Antetokounmpo said. It could just as easily have fallen apart for Milwaukee after losing a 20-point lead with 7:37 left in the third quarter.
Jaylen Brown had 34 points for the Celtics, while Tatum added 21. Tatum’s 18-footer with 52 seconds left gave the Celtics a brief 10099 lead.
He just couldn’t hold off Antetokounmpo on the other end for the decisive tip-in.
The Bucks set a franchise playoff high with 14 blocks, eclipsing the previous high of 13 set in Game 3. The 7-foot-1 Thon Maker has turned into a disruptive presence after playing sparingly in the first two games. He’s getting extended minutes because of Henson’s injury.
“Thon is playing extremely assertive. The blocked shots are going to stand out because that’s something somebody can see on the stat sheet,” Prunty said.
The disappointing end for the Celtics overshadowed their spirited rally from a 6545 deficit with 7:37 left in the third quarter. Play got chippy and the Celtics limited the Bucks’ transition game.
They came up one basket short at the end.
Both teams traded clutch buckets down the stretch.
SPURS 103, WARRIORS 90
Manu Ginobili scored 10 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter of what could have been his final home game with the Spurs as San Antonio beat Golden State to avoid a series sweep as coach Gregg Popovich remained out following the death of his wife.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Spurs, but they were willed to the finish by the 40-year-old Ginobili, who has said he will decide in the off-season if he will return for a 17 th season.