Bucks cruise, tie East semi
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 34 points and the Bucks rolled to a 107-96 Game 4 victory on Sunday to tie their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Nets, who lost Kyrie Irving to a sprained right ankle.
The Bucks erased a 2-0 deficit by winning two straight in Milwaukee.
Game 5 is Tuesday night in New York.
The Nets’ immediate concern is the health of its superstar trio.
Irving got hurt midway through the second quarter and didn’t return. The Nets already are missing nine-time All-Star guard and 2018 league MVP James Harden, who hasn’t played since the opening minute of Game 1 due to right hamstring tightness.
That puts even more pressure on Kevin Durant, who has carried the Nets this series and provided 28 points and 13 rebounds Sunday. The only other Net in double figures was Irving, who had 11 points before leaving.
After Irving made a basket in the paint to cut the Bucks’ lead to 44-40 midway through the second quarter, his left leg hit the right leg of Antetokounmpo on his way down and his ankle rolled. Irving landed awkwardly and clutched his right ankle as play briefly continued on the other end of the floor.
When play stopped due to a change of possession, team officials went to the floor to check on Irving, who appeared in pain on the floor before being able to walk to the locker room. The Nets announced at halftime that the seventime All-Star wouldn’t return to the game.
Coach Steve Nash said after the game that X-rays taken on Irving’s ankle were negative.
The Bucks already had taken the lead for good even before Irving’s injury.
They got more balance Sunday after eking out an 86-83 victory in Game 3, when Khris Middleton and Antetokounmpo combined for 68 points, 79% of the Bucks’ scoring output. That marked the highest percentage of a team’s points that a duo had combined to score in any NBA playoff game ever.
Middleton scored 19 points, Jrue Holiday had 14, P.J. Tucker got 13 and Bryn Forbes added 10 for the Bucks.
The Bucks maintained a double-digit edge throughout the fourth. The Nets removed their starters as the Bucks led 99-84 with 4:28 left, and the Fiserv Forum crowd chanted “Bucks In Six!” as the final seconds ticked away.
Clippers cut deficit: Kawhi Leonard had 34 points and 12 rebounds, Paul George added 31 points and the Clippers got back into their Western Conference semifinal series against the Jazz with a 132-106 victory in Game 3 on Saturday night in Los Angeles.
Leonard and George each scored at least 30 in the same playoff game for the second time to help the fourth-seeded Clippers cut the top-seeded Jazz’s series lead to 2-1.
George shot only 34.3% from the field in the first two games but was 12 of 24, including 6 of 10 on 3-pointers.
Leonard scored 24 points in the second half.
Game 4 is Monday night at Staples Center.
Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz with 30 points, his fifth straight games with at least 30.