Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo combined for 68 points on Thursday as hosts the Milwaukee Bucks led wire-to-wire to beat the Brooklyn Nets 104-89 in Game 6 of their playoff series.
Middleton had a playoff career-high 38 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and grabbed 17 rebounds for the Bucks, who evened the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-final at 3-3.
The Bucks changed up their defensive strategy and Middleton had the hot hand while shooting from the perimeter to push the series to a decisive Game 7.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“We were solid all night,” Middleton said. “We just tried to make it tough on [Kevin] Durant and [James] Harden, and we were able to do that. The playoffs are about adjusting. We had a little lead at the half, and we were able to keep it and extend it in the fourth quarter.”
Game 7 is today in Brooklyn, where the Nets have won all three games at the Barclays Center.
Middleton shot 11 of 16 from the floor, five of eight from three-point range and 11 of 12 at the free-throw line.
After rallying behind a monster performance by Durant for a Game 5 victory on Tuesday, the Nets failed to win in the first potential closeout game of the series.
“We didn’t do well tonight offensively,” Nets coach Steve Nash said. “We were out of rhythm and out of sync for the entire game. Defensively we weren’t great either. Just not a great game from us and now we got a Game 7 on our home court.”
Milwaukee’s win not only kept their season alive, but also the streak of the hosts winning every game of the series so far.
“It will be win or go home. That is what the players and fans love about it,” Middleton said.
Brooklyn had often-injured Harden for Game 6, but lost guard Kyrie Irving during the Game 4 loss. Irving did not travel with the team to Wisconsin due to the sprained ankle he suffered in-game on Sunday.
Harden struggled in his first full game of the series in Game 5 after sitting out with a sore hamstring. After making just one basket in Game 5 and finishing with five points, he improved in Game 6, scoring 16 points — still well below his average of 24.6 points.
Durant, who was coming off a remarkable 49-point performance while playing every minute of Game 5, finished with 32 points and 11 rebounds. Instead of playing the entire game, this time he logged 40 minutes of floor time.
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