Celtics force Game 7 with win over Bucks
Celtics 108, Bucks 95: Jayson Tatum scored 46 points, outdueling Giannis Antetokounmpo and making sure there wouldn't be another Milwaukee fourth-quarter comeback, and visiting Boston beat the defending champions on Friday night to force a seventh game in their Eastern Conference semifinal.
The third straight victory for a road team sets up a winner-take-all game Sunday in Boston. The victor heads to Miami to begin an East finals matchup with the top-seeded Heat on Tuesday.
Boston showed its grit by bouncing back two nights after blowing a 14point, fourth-quarter lead in a 110-107 Game 5 home loss. The Bucks tried to rally again after trailing by 14 points in the final period, but this time Tatum kept the Celtics on top and kept their season alive.
Antetokounmpo had 44 points, 20 rebounds and six assists. His 20 rebounds were one off his career high.
Jaylen Brown scored 22 and Marcus Smart had 21 for the Celtics, who capitalized on their superiority from 3point range. The Celtics were 17 of 43 and the Bucks 7 of 27 from beyond the arc.
Antetokounmpo tried to lead the Bucks to a second straight improbable comeback.
Boston led 84-70 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter and was up 84-73 when officials ruled Grant Williams had drawn a charge for Antetokounmpo's fifth foul. But the Bucks challenged the call and it was overturned on replay, instead sending Antetokounmpo to the line with four fouls.
Antetokounmpo made both free throws to start an 8-0 run that got the Bucks back into the game. The Bucks trimmed the margin to 85-81 on Antetokounmpo's 3-pointer with 8:42 left.
Warriors 110, Grizzlies 96: Klay Thompson made 3-pointers on the way to 30 points, Stephen Curry had 29 points and six 3s and host Golden State advanced to the Western Conference finals, beating Memphis in Game 6.
The Warriors will face the Phoenixdallas winner in the conference finals. Game 7 of that series is Sunday in Phoenix.
Golden State – eliminated by Memphis in the play-in tournament last year – withstood a testy series to advance to the conference finals for the first time since 2019, when the franchise reached its fifth straight NBA Finals before losing to Toronto in the deciding Game 6.
Dillon Brooks scored 30 points for Memphis, hitting a career-best seven 3-pointers.
Curry checked back in for the final 8:21 and delivered a 3 with 5:45 remaining off a beautiful bounce pass by Green. Looney found Green for an easy dunk the next time down, capping a decisive 10-0 run.
After Wednesday's 134-95 debacle on the Grizzlies' home floor in which they trailed by as many as 55 , the Warriors were determined to do everything better, especially cutting down on the 22 turnovers leading to 29 points.