NBA Playoffs: The Bucks bounce back to take game three against the Nets!
Milwaukee, Wisconsin – The Milwaukee Bucks have finally showed up in their series against the Brooklyn Nets with a much-needed win on Thursday night.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (26) and Khris Middleton led the Bucks over the Nets in game three, escaping with an 86-83 win to cut Brooklyn’s series lead to 2-1. Middleton scored a game-high 35 points, while Giannis dropped 33 to help keep the Bucks from falling into an all-but-certain 0-3-hole heading into a pivotal game four this weekend.
The game seemed to be a real defensive showcase, a little unusual considering both squads are the highest-scoring teams in the NBA. Neither team could break 100 points in this tightly wound affair.
The Nets had trampled the Bucks in the first two games of these Eastern Conference semifinals, and if Milwaukee fell again this time, all signs might’ve pointed to a possible Brooklyn sweep.
But Giannis and the Bucks meant business this time around, playing with a defense that had been missing all series up to that point. The Bucks were stingy in the first quarter only allowing 11 points, seemingly turning things around from the previous two games.
Brooklyn responded with proper adjustments to only trail Milwaukee by two at the half. The Nets wouldn’t let up either, keeping the score close, but it was indeed the Bucks doing just enough to keep their home fans hopeful for a competitive series going forward.
Middleton helped to close out the game with six points in the final minutes to seal the deal for the Bucks.
The Nets tried their best to keep their momentum going despite missing one of their big three
Brooklyn seemed to be the team to beat so far during this series, controlling every facet of the game even though they’ve been missing James Harden since the opening minute of game one. They came out in full force anyway to win the first two games by a total of 47 points. That was until the Bucks turned things all the way around, leaving the Nets scoring their lowest point total all year on Thursday.
"We were able to compete and we were able to get our teammates involved…Hopefully we can do it in Game 4 also," said Giannis, in his postgame interview with ESPN.
The Bucks hope to tie up the series in game four, on Sunday afternoon, back in Milwaukee.
Cover photo: IMAGO / Icon SMI