USA TODAY US Edition

Giannis advice stokes Middleton’s play

- Matt Velazquez Milwaukee Journal Sentinel USA TODAY Network

At the end of the third quarter, the Bucks held a slim, three-point lead over the Magic in Game 4 of their NBA firstround playoff series. Giannis Antetokoun­mpo had been doing most of the heavy lifting to keep the Bucks on top, but he needed help.

To that point, fellow all-star Khris Middleton had three points on 1 of 9 shooting, continuing what has generally been a down series for the sharpshoot­er. So before the fourth quarter started, Antetokoun­mpo got in Middleton’s ear and issued a directive, one meant to challenge Middleton and bolster his confidence.

“Just shoot the ball until your arms fall off,” Antetokoun­mpo said he told Middleton. “Just keep being aggressive. It doesn’t matter. Shoot it every time you touch it. Just shoot it. Every time. Eventually, it’s going to go in.”

It wasn’t long at all until the ball started going in. Middleton drained his first shot of the quarter, a 3-pointer, off a feed from Antetokoun­mpo. Next came a 19-foot baseline fadeaway followed by a 3-pointer through an Evan Fournier foul, then another three-pointer and finally another baseline jumper over Markelle Fultz.

Just like that, Middleton had opened the quarter 5 of 5 from the floor, the

Bucks had ballooned their lead to as many as 19 and Milwaukee was well on its way to a 121-106 victory on Monday in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

“That’s been something my teammates, coaches, everybody’s been telling me since Day 1 since I got here in Milwaukee is no matter how I’m shooting I’ve got to keep shooting,” he said. “That’s the only way it’s going to go in.

“At times I think I’m unselfish and there’s times where I think I have to force the issue and I think that’s what they really wanted me to do – at least start doing in that fourth quarter. Force the issue, don’t worry about nothing else, but try to be myself.”

Thanks to his 18-point eruption in the fourth quarter, Middleton finished with 21 points on 7 of 19 shooting to go with 10 rebounds and three assists. It was a performanc­e that showed just how dangerous the Bucks can be when Middleton gets rolling, something the team will need if it wants to go deep into the playoffs.

“He knows that we believe in him,” Antetokoun­mpo said. “We believe that he’s going to come out being aggressive, make the right play, get big buckets for us.

“And we need him to do that this game, the next game, all season long, all playoffs long. We just want Khris to keep being aggressive.”

While Middleton stole the show late, it was Antetokoun­mpo who carried the team to victory with steady, effective, dominant play throughout the game. The reigning MVP collected 31 points on 14 of 21 shooting along with 15 rebounds and eight assists in 34 minutes, yet another stellar performanc­e in a strong series.

When it looked like Middleton’s fourth-quarter surge had put the game away for good, Orlando refused to quit and made one last push to get within seven points. The Bucks were able to keep things from getting too close thanks to a few key shots from Antetokoun­mpo and Kyle Korver before free throws salted the victory away.

Now, the Bucks are one game away from advancing to the second round, something they’ll try to do in Game 5 at 4 p.m. ET Wednesday (NBA Network).

 ?? POOL PHOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES ?? Khris Middleton, shooting over the Magic’s Evan Fournier in the second half, scored 18 of his 21 points Monday in the fourth quarter.
POOL PHOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES Khris Middleton, shooting over the Magic’s Evan Fournier in the second half, scored 18 of his 21 points Monday in the fourth quarter.

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