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Key Moment
The Boston Celtics were on the verge of rallying back from a 20-point, second-half deficit Sunday afternoon against the Milwaukee Bucks, but Giannis Antetokounmpo wasn’t about to let Game 4 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals slip away on his home court.
Boston tied the game, 102-102 on a pair of free throws from Al Horford with 29.6 second remaining, leaving enough time for two more possessions.
Milwaukee took the ball up-court and placed the ball in Malcolm Brogdon’s hands for the go-ahead attempt. The second-year point guard cut across the paint from the right wing to the left side of the key and shoved a contested jumper off of his left shoulder, clanking it off the front of the rim.
Jayson Tatum tried his best to box out Antetokounmpo for the rebound, but the Greek Freak’s size advantage got the best of the rookie. Antetokounmpo leapt up, stretched his left arm as far as it would go, and tipped the ball in just as it was grazing the rim for the second time.
With 5.1 seconds left on the clock, Boston took its final timeout and drew up one last play. Jayson Tatum inbounded cross-court to Marcus Morris on the right elbow. Morris faced up against Khris Middleton, dribbled to his right and fired off the potential game-tying shot, but it hit off the back rim as time expired, enabling Milwaukee to squeak by with a 104-102 win to tie the series at 2-2.
Key Player
Boston never would have been able to catch back up to Milwaukee Sunday afternoon if it hadn't been for Jaylen Brown's consistent offensive production throughout the game.
Brown kept Boston's struggling offense alive during the first half, accounting for 15 of its 35 points ahead of the break. He continued his hot hand after halftime, scoring 19 more for a new career-high of 34 points.
Brown finished 13-of-24 from the field and 5-of-8 from 3-point range, while also corralling eight rebounds and a game-high three steals. Boston couldn't take advantage of the masterful effort in the end, but the sour taste of the loss added some fuel to Brown's fire, which he will certainly use as motivation for Game 5 back in Boston.
Box Score Nuggets
- Jaylen Brown's game-high 34 points marked a new career best.
- Brown also led the game in steals with three.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 27 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
- The Celtics overcame a 20-point, second-half deficit before falling in the closing seconds.
- Aron Baynes corralled a game-high 11 rebounds during just 19 minutes of action.
- The Celtics crushed Milwaukee on the offensive glass, 16-2.
- Boston's 16 offensive boards led to 17 second-chance points.
- Both teams made 10 3-pointers, but Milwaukee had six fewer attempts (23).
- Milwaukee's second unit nearly doubled up Boston's reserves, 31-15.
- Thon Maker logged a game-high 5 blocks for the second straight game.
- The Bucks blocked 14 shots as a team, while the C's logged only 3 blocks.
- Terry Rozier dished out a game-high eight assists, while adding 10 points and five rebounds.
Quote of the Night
Jaylen Brown on Marcus Morris' game-tying attempt.