Bucks hold off Celtics to take 2-1 series lead
Giannis Antetokounmpo found a way to get better shots and recapture his peak form just in time to help the defending champion Bucks regain the lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
But it was the Celtics’ bad timing that made the difference in the end.
Antetokounmpo bounced 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-7 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.”
The Celtics trailed 103-100 when officials determined Marcus Smart was fouled by Jrue Holiday just before attempting a potential tying 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds remaining. 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. The Celtics’ Robert Williams charged toward the basket and sent the ball up and off the glass. Al 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 sounded.
“Missed it perfectly,” Smart said. “Nobody was ready, (but) our guys were. Got it up on the rim. We had a few chances at it. Just didn’t work out for us.”
The Celtics believed Smart should have had an opportunity to tie the game at the line. Celtics coach Ime Udoka and Smart said it should have been a shooting foul on Holiday.
“Poor call, poor non-call,” Udoka said. “You can clearly see it. I saw it in person, but also on the film. It was a shot. You can tell it on the way up. Bad missed call.” Holiday disagreed.
“Honestly, it looked like he was still facing the sideline,” said Holiday, who scored 25 points. “That’s not a shooting motion. He wasn’t facing the rim.”
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 27 points and 12 rebounds. Horford had 22 points, 15 rebounds and five assists.
Warriors go up 2-1: Stephen Curry scored 30 points and Jordan Poole added 27 points as the host Warriors rolled past the Grizzlies 142-112 to take a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series. Klay Thompson contributed 21 points as the Warriors shot 63.1 percent from the field to move to 4-0 at the Chase Center this postseason.
Ja Morant had 34 points and seven assists to lead the Grizzlies before leaving late in the game with an apparent leg injury.
Defense gets Mavs back into series: Luka Doncic got the help he and the Mavericks needed — from Jalen Brunson on offense and himself, Reggie Bullock and others on defense.
The Mavericks superstar had 26 points and 13 rebounds, and the Mavericks turned up the defensive pressure to get back in their Western Conference semifinal series, beating the Suns 103-94 on Friday night in Dallas.
The Mavericks spoiled Chris Paul’s 37th birthday, forcing the 17-year pro into his most turnovers in any half of a playoff game with seven before the break.
The Mavericks cut the Suns’ series lead to 2-1 and ended an 11-game losing streak against them, regular season included. Game 4 is Sunday in Dallas.
“Energy, man,” Doncic said of the his team’s best defensive showing of the series. “The crowd gets you going. The energy and the execution were better. That’s what we’ve got to do every game.”