NBA Playoffs: Bucks take Game 3 over Celtics, Warriors defend home court
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - The Milwaukee Bucks escaped with a win in Game 3 of their NBA playoffs series against the Boston Celtics, claiming a 103-101 victory after a frantic final exchange on Saturday.
Boston trailed 103-100 when Marcus Smart was fouled by Jrue Holiday just before attempting a three-pointer to tie the game with 4.6 seconds remaining.
After making the first free-throw from a non-shooting foul, Smart intentionally missed the second attempt and got the rebound, but he missed his putback attempt.
Robert Williams flew in, but the ball bounced off the glass.
Horford picked up the rebound, missed his putback attempt, got his own rebound and banked it in, but his final shot came just after the buzzer sounded, denying overtime.
Giannis Antetokounmpo put up a massive performance on the other end, coming up with 42 points on 16-of-30 shooting, 12 rebounds, and eight assists, as well as two steals and blocks.
His showing was enough to earn him his sixth career 40-point playoff game.
Warriors overcome slow start to defeat the Grizzlies
The Golden State Warriors blew the Memphis Grizzlies out despite a slow start and poor shooting night from Stephen Curry beyond the arc, taking Game 3 out 142-112.
The Warriors coughed up seven turnovers as the Grizzlies created a double-digit lead in the first quarter, but once the home side took care of the ball, their shooting facilitated a comprehensive turnaround.
Despite two-of-eight from Stephen Curry beyond the perimeter, he and Jordan Poole were able to penetrate off the dribble and get the team great looks.
The Dubs went 53-of-84 for the night with an extraordinary true shooting rate of 76.1%.
Curry still finished with an even 50% from the floor and hit all 14 free-throw attempts, getting 30 points and six assists.
Poole contributed 27 points off the bench, while the team outside of Curry went 17-of-24 from the perimeter.
Ja Morant limped off late following a knee injury, finishing the night with 34 points and seven assists.
Cover photo: Collage: REUTERS