Milwaukee Bucks Force Game 7 With Big Win Over Brooklyn Nets

The plaza outside Fiserv Forum was packed with Milwaukee Bucks fans Thursday night. It would have been hard to imagine the scene just a few months ago.

Inside, the stakes were high. The Bucks faced elimination, and maybe even a coaching change, with a loss to the Brooklyn Nets in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. But Milwaukee stuck to its game when it needed to most. Brooklyn never led Thursday, and the Bucks won 104-89.

“There was only one option: Win the game. We knew that if we didn’t win the game, our season was going to be over,” reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo said.

The teams will face off Saturday in Brooklyn for a decisive Game 7.

The Bucks got off to a quick start with 18 points in the paint during the first quarter. Antetokounmpo and teammate Khris Middleton had 19 points each in the first half. The former was all but unstoppable near the net — though he struggled with free throws — while the latter was a threat from the perimeter. He made four 3s in the first half.

Milwaukee led by 11 at halftime, with big advantages in turnovers and fast break points. That’s despite a strong second quarter from James Harden, who led the Nets in scoring during the first half with 14 points. He played with a hamstring injury that kept him out for most of the series.

Still, the Bucks couldn’t ease up. After all, the Nets were down by as many as 16 points in Game 5 on Tuesday before coming back to win.

The Nets aimed to orchestrate another comeback Thursday, but the Bucks never let them get too close. Milwaukee took a long scoring run into the fourth quarter before P.J. Tucker fouled Nets star Kevin Durant. Durant had 32 points but never played with the same dominance he found Tuesday. In fact, Tucker, who’s frustrated Durant throughout the series, defended him well down the stretch.

Meanwhile, no one could stop Antetokounmpo on the other end of the court. He finished with 30 points and 17 rebounds. Middleton had 38 points, his most ever in a playoff game.

“He just scored a lot of different ways, it’s what we need,” head coach Mike Budenholzer said of Middleton. “We need everybody to be good or great. I think his teammates helped him, and he obviously got to some spots and was able to convert.”

The Bucks are 5-0 against the Nets at Fiserv Forum this season, and the Bucks are feeling good about heading back to Brooklyn.

“Confidence has always been high, win or loss,” Middleton said. “Never get too high, never get too low. That’s the main thing in the NBA season, especially in the playoffs. We’ve got to be able to bounce back and stay strong. We haven’t won on the road yet and that’s the only way we knew we were going to win this series was if we could get a win on the road, and it’s coming down to the last game.”

It was the second game back for Harden, who returned to action Tuesday after suffering his injury in Game 1. Kyrie Irving missed Thursday’s game for Brooklyn. He sprained his ankle in Game 4.

It has been an up and down series for the Bucks. At first, it looked like the Nets might make quick work of things. They won the first two games by a combined 47 points in Brooklyn. But back in Milwaukee, the Bucks managed to hold their opponent’s stellar offense to double digits in back-to-back games, a feat they accomplished again Thursday.

“Everybody’s got to be ready to guard, everybody’s got to be ready to work,” Budenholzer said after the game. “The connectivity, the communication defensively has got to be at a high level. We’ve got to go do it again.”

On Tuesday, it seemed Milwaukee might get the chance to close out the series at home Thursday. The Bucks led through three quarters in Game 5. But Durant was overpowering late in the game — with 20 points in the fourth quarter alone. He finished with a historic night: 49 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists. Despite the loss Tuesday, Antetokounmpo pointed out that his team has played four strong games in a row.

In recent years, the Bucks have struggled to get over the hump in the playoffs, and questions have lingered over Budenholzer’s future in Milwaukee. But the Bucks played their best basketball when they needed it Thursday, and this year is different anyway.

Rather than entering the postseason as favorites, the Bucks are underdogs against the Nets, who finished two games ahead of them in the regular-season standings.

Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks will have an opportunity to advance to the Eastern Conference finals Friday, with a win over the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers.