Giannis, Middleton lead Milwaukee to Game 3 win

Jrue Holiday spun around his defender and hit a go-ahead layup with 11.4 seconds left to help Milwaukee to an 86-83 win in Game 3 over Brooklyn.

The Bucks dominated the first quarter, getting out to a 19-point lead, but Brooklyn had an answer in the second and trailed by just three at the half. It was a fist fight the rest of the way with neither team leading by more than four points in the fourth quarter.

The Nets were up 83-80 following a Kevin Durant 3-pointer with 1:23 left, but those would be the final points of the night for Brooklyn. Milwaukee finished on a 6-0 run and it was largely a result of some stingy defense down the stretch.

Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo both had big nights, combining for 68 of Milwaukee’s 86 points. Middleton had a game-high 35 points after scoring 30 total in the first two games and also contributed 15 rebounds. Antetokounmpo went for 33 points and 14 rebounds.

The Nets were paced by Kevin Durant’s 30 points, though it took him 28 shots to get it. Kyrie Irving finished with 22 points, while Bruce Brown had 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The win allowed the Bucks to cut the Nets series lead to 2-1 with Game 4 coming Sunday in Milwaukee.