Celtics topple champs
With Game 7 win vs. Bucks, they get Heat in East finals
Grant Williams scored a career-high 27 points and hit seven 3-pointers, Jayson Tatum added 23 and the Celtics set a Game 7 record with 22 3-pointers to eliminate the NBA champion Bucks 109-81 on Sunday in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The second-seeded Celtics will face the top-seeded Heat beginning Tuesday in a rematch of the 2020 East finals. The Heat beat the Celtics in six games in that series at Walt Disney World.
The Celtics trailed early but outscored the third-seeded Bucks 61- 38 in the second half to cruise to the victory. The Celtics used a whopping 54-point advantage from behind the arc to improve to 25-9 in decisive seventh games.
The Bucks are now 3-9. They went 4-for-33 (12.1%) from the 3-point line. That’s the second-worst 3-point percentage in a playoff game ever (minimum 30 attempts).
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists. But he was just 3 of 11 in the paint in the second half, including 1-for-6 the fourth quarter. Jrue Holiday added 21 points and eight assists. Brook Lopez finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Williams finished 7 for 18 behind the arc as the host Celtics finished the comeback after dropping Game 5 at home to fall into a 3-2 hole.
The Celtics started the second half on an 11-4 run to open a 59-47 lead.
It was 63-53 when Tatum went to the bench after being whistled for his fourth foul. But the Celtics rallied without him, outscoring the Bucks 16-11 the rest of the quarter to take a 79-64 lead to the fourth.
The Bucks led the entire first quarter as Antetokounmpo scored or assisted on 24 of the Bucks’ 26 first-quarter points.
He ended the period with 10 points, eight rebounds and six assists to help the Bucks grab a 26-20 lead.
The Celtics began to claw back in the second quarter, drawing a third foul on Bobby Portis at the 8:49 mark. TV cameras showed him tossing his goggles as he went to the bench area. He’d been wearing the goggles since suffering a right eye abrasion in Game 2 of the Bucks’ first-round series against the Bulls.
With Portis on the bench, the Celtics took their first lead of the game on a dunk by Al Horford that punctuated a 12-2 run.
The Celtics led 45-43 in the final minute of the half when Tatum was called for an offensive foul on Grayson Allen — Tatum’s third foul of the game.
Following an unsuccessful challenge by Celtics coach Ime Udoka, the teams exchanged misses. But after Smart’s steal near midcourt, Antetokounmpo fouled Smart as he attempted a last-second, 3-point heave.
Smart connected on each of his three free throws to give the Celtics the 48-43 halftime lead.
Celtics center Robert Williams III was available to play after missing three straight games with soreness and a bone bruise in his surgically repaired left knee. But he didn’t play.
Kerr back with Warriors: Steve Kerr is out of the NBA’s health and safety protocols and preparing to coach the Warriors in the Western Conference finals after missing the last three games of the semifinal round against the Grizzlies with COVID-19.
Kerr said his symptoms were mild but his biggest concern wasn’t to get anyone around him sick. He departed less than two hours before tipoff of Game 4 against the Grizzlies last Monday after arriving at Chase Center and testing positive.
“It really wasn’t too bad,” Kerr said Sunday, still waiting on his team’s opponent from Game 7 of the Mavericks-Suns series. That game ended too late for this edition.
Associate head coach Mike Brown, who recently became the next coach of the Kings, filled in for Kerr as the thirdseeded Warriors wrapped up the series with a 110-96 win on Friday night.
Guard Gary Payton II said everyone is thrilled to have Kerr back in the building and locker room.
“Just good to see him,” Payton said. “We’re glad that he made it out OK, made it good, came back healthier.”
Kerr encouraged Brown “to follow his gut. He couldn’t think, ‘What would I do?’ ” and that led to the Warriors staff starting Kevon Looney in the clincher. He had 22 rebounds.
The Warriors are hopeful forward Otto Porter Jr. will be available for Game 1 on Wednesday night after missing the previous two games with soreness in his right foot.
In addition, Payton is recovering well from a broken left elbow and might be fine to play at some point during this round, Kerr said.*