Bucks even up series with Game 4 win over Celtics
Milwaukee holds serve at home while San Antonio stays alive against Warriors
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 a 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 down the stretch, 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 100-99 lead.
He just couldn’t hold off Ante- tokounmpo 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.
“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 65-45 deficit. During the comeback, play got chippy and the Celtics limited the Bucks’ transition game.
They came up one basket short. Both teams traded clutch buckets down the stretch.
After Tatum’s long jumper, Brogdon hit a transition threepointer from the corner for a 102100 lead with 33 seconds left. Al Horford followed with two foul shots to tie the game at 102 with 29 seconds remaining.
They couldn’t send the game into overtime. Morris bent over in frustration near the Boston bench after his fadeaway hit the rim.
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, and San Antonio beat Golden State to avoid a series sweep as head coach Gregg Popovich remained out following the death of his wife Erin. 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 17th season.
Kevin Durant had 34 points and 13 rebounds for the Warriors, who can wrap up the series in Game 5 at home Tuesday. Popovich missed his second game after Erin died Wednesday following a prolonged illness. Lead assistant coach Ettore Messina led the Spurs again, but to a much different showing than in Game 3.
Golden State outscored San Antonio 29-21 in the third quarter and went on a 13-5 run beginning two minutes into the fourth quarter to pull within 88-86 with six minutes remaining. Aldridge banked in a threepointer with 4:22 remaining to stop the Warriors’ run and Ginobili took over with a pair of threepointers in the final minutes.