Bobby Portis covered a missed free throw by Giannis Antetokounmpo with 15 seconds left, Jrue Holiday outpointed Marcus Smart on Boston’s last two possessions and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Celtics 110-107 on Wednesday night for a 3-game lead. 2 in the series.
Antetokounmpo had 40 points and 11 rebounds, Holiday finished with 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists and Portis added 14 points and 15 rebounds for the defending NBA champion Bucks. Milwaukee has a chance to wrap up the Eastern Conference semifinals in Game 6 at home on Friday night.
The Celtics need a win to force a decisive Game 7 in Boston on Sunday. The Celtics led by 14 in the fourth quarter before the Bucks closed the gap, tying it at 105 on Holiday’s 3-pointer with 43 seconds left. Jayson Tatum, who had 34 points overall, hit a pair of free throws to give Boston the lead.
Antetokounmpo went to the lane with a tying chance and made the first, then Portis grabbed the second’s rebound and put it on the backboard to give Milwaukee its first lead since early in the second quarter. he blocked and ran off with the ball, throwing it to Smart as he fell out of bounds.
Pat Connaughton made a pair of free throws with six seconds left, then Holiday stole the ball from Smart in his desperate run for a possible game-tying 3-pointer. The Bucks won two of three games in Boston to steal the lead from play at home. Antetokounmpo had his best shooting game of the series, going 16-for-27, but he also had seven turnovers.
The Bucks’ comeback spoiled a great performance by Celtics figures Jayson Tatum (34 points) and Jaylen Brown (26). Al Horford contributed eight points, eight rebounds and six assists.