Tip is late as Bucks prevail
Giannis Antetokounmpo found a way to get better shots and recapture his peak form just in time to help the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks regain the lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
But it was the Boston Celtics’ bad timing that made the difference.
“The Greek Freak” was able to bounce back from a rare subpar performance by scoring 42 points and making the go-ahead basket with 44.3 seconds left in a 103-101 victory Saturday. The Bucks lead the best-of-seven series 2-1, with Game 4 on Monday night in Milwaukee.
“I know what my strengths are,” Antetokounmpo said. “Just try to read what’s in front of me and just play with my instincts. Sometimes I’m going to make the right play and sometimes I’m going to make the wrong play, but as long as I play within my strengths, we’re going to be in a good place.”
The victory wasn’t secure until replays confirmed that Al Horford’s potential tying putback — capping a wild sequence after Marcus Smart intentionally missed a free throw — came just after the buzzer.
“I saw Al tip it, and I saw the red outline go off on the backboard,” Bucks center Brook Lopez said. “It was very close.”
Boston trailed 103-100 when officials determined Smart was fouled by Jrue Holiday just before attempting a potential tying threepointer with 4.6 seconds remaining. Because it was a non-shooting foul, Smart got just two free-throw attempts.
Smart made the first free throw then missed the second intentionally — flinging a shot that went hard off the backboard before hitting the rim.
That’s when things got wild.
Smart got the rebound, but missed his putback attempt. Boston’s Robert Williams charged toward the basket and sent the ball up and off the glass. Horford was waiting on the right side with a putback attempt that also went off the glass. Horford then got his own rebound and banked it in, but his final shot came just after the buzzer.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 27 points and 12 rebounds. Horford had 22 points, 15 rebounds and five assists.
On a day when Brown and Horford produced double-doubles, the Celtics still lost in part because of AllStar forward Jayson Tatum’s struggles. Tatum shot four for 19 overall and missed all six of his threepoint attempts before finishing with 10 points.
at Golden State 142, Memphis 112:
Stephen Curry scored 30 points, Klay Thompson had 21 and nine rebounds, and the Warriors
shut down Ja Morant’s supporting cast to embarrass the Grizzlies for a 2-1 lead.
Morant’s three just before the halftime buzzer got the Grizzlies to within 64-57 and gave him 17 of his 34 points after a 47-point performance in Game 2. But Morant couldn’t do it alone for Memphis, and he was done after rubbing his tender right knee and limping off with 6:19 to play before heading to the locker room.
Jordan Poole scored 27 points off the bench and Andrew Wiggins added 17 points for Golden State, which used a 10-0 run out of halftime to take command.