Photo via Twitter / ESPN Stats and Info
The playoff game that the Milwaukee Bucks so desperately needed finally came on Thursday night at Fiserv Forum. While putting up impressive numbers, there wasn’t a game yet this postseason where Giannis Antetokounmpo really made his presence felt. Thursday, however, that changed as he and Khris Middleton combined for 79% of Milwaukee’s points, the highest playoff percentage for any duo in NBA history. Their 68 points helped push the Bucks past the Brooklyn Nets, 86-83 to bring the series to 2-1 in favor of Brooklyn.
Middleton and Giannis excelled, but it was the third component of Milwaukee’s core players that came up big when needed. With 11.4 seconds remaining, Jrue Holiday reclaimed the lead for the Bucks with a slick spin move past Bruce Brown. A last-second three-point attempt from Kevin Durant put fear into the hearts of Bucks faithful, but ultimately missed, sealing the game for Milwaukee. No team in NBA history has blown a 3-0 series lead, but fortunately, Milwaukee won’t be looking at that deficit heading into game four on Sunday afternoon.
Thursday night didn’t say much for the Bucks as a team, but an ugly win is still a win. Much like Milwaukee in games one and two on the road, the Nets’ mistakes seemed to be the difference in game three. A hot start from the Bucks was aided by Brooklyn coming out of the gate flat, missing their first seven shots from the field while Milwaukee pulled into a 9-0 lead that made for a lively Fiserv Forum. Milwaukee would extend their lead to as much as 21 points, before the Nets battled back late. 86-83 sounds like the score at the end of three quarters of play most nights, but it was all Milwaukee needed to come away with the win.
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While game three was crucial, game four is just as important with a fifth contest now scheduled in Brooklyn next Tuesday. Tying the series up going into an environment where Milwaukee struggled hard this week is crucial, and the Bucks will have to take at least one win at Barclays Center in order to advance to the Eastern Conference finals. It wasn’t a great game, but Thursday night was a step in the right direction for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Game four of the Eastern Conference semifinals is scheduled to tip off at 2 p.m. on Sunday. The game will air nationally on ABC, and fans are encouraged to cheer the team on at the Deer District outside of Fiserv Forum. You can get full information on the playoff watch parties at the Deer District website.
