Photo via Twitter / Bucks
When Kevin Durant needed to put the Brooklyn Nets on his back, he certainly did. A playoff triple-double with 49 points helped a Nets team without star Kyrie Irving and a quiet James Harden slip past the Bucks in game five of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Milwaukee led almost the entire game, getting off to a hot start in the same Barclays Center where they had been blown out twice at the beginning of the series. A 12-2 run in Milwaukee’s favor kicked off the game, and seemingly made a statement that the Bucks were not going to repeat history from just last week in New York. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the scoring for the Bucks with 34 points, and had his way inside the paint, making it look easy with a strong presence under the basket. Four of the Bucks’ starters put up 15 points or more, spreading the ball to make up for the defensive attention that Giannis draws inside. The Bucks took a 16 point lead going into halftime.
During the second half, one of the best scorers in the league made his presence truly felt. Kevin Durant led the charge for Brooklyn as they slowly cut down the Bucks’ lead, and would ultimately make history as the first player to have 45 or more points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in a game. While yes, it was a special performance from the all-star, Milwaukee’s defense lapsed just enough to make things close.
The Bucks’ lead fully slipped away in the fourth quarter, with Brooklyn taking over at just about four minutes into the quarter. Things stayed tight until very late, with Milwaukee managing to keep the margin to around four points with just under a minute remaining. A costly turnover and missed free throws from Giannis didn’t help matters, making for a heartbreaking loss on the road.
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It’s up to the Bucks to now regroup and continue the trend of home team wins in this series, as they’ll look to game six, now facing elimination, at Fiserv Forum on Thursday night. Winning in Brooklyn was always necessary to advance in the playoffs, but now Milwaukee will have to hold serve once again at home before possibly getting the chance to play a winner-take-all game seven.
Game six of the Eastern Conference semifinals is set for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday night, airing nationally on ESPN. Tickets are on sale now, and fans can also gather in the Deer District outside of the arena. Find out information about the playoff watch parties at the Deer District website.
