Bucks stave off elimination, force Game 7 in Brooklyn

The Milwaukee Bucks season will have at least one more game.

Khris Middleton scored 38 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points as the Bucks beat Brooklyn 104-89 Thursday night to force a deciding Game 7.

The duo combined for 27 rebounds and became just the second teammates in NBA playoff history to each post multiple games of 30-plus points and 10-plus rebounds in a single series. It helped Milwaukee advance to its fifth Game 7 since 2000. The club is just 1-3 in those games, the most recent coming in a first-round loss to Boston in 2017.

Antetokounmpo didn’t take a single 3-pointer for just the fourth time in a game this season, deciding instead to attack the rim. He finished 12-for-20 from the field and only two of his misses came from within the lane.

Milwaukee held an 11-point lead at the half and had the same margin heading into the fourth quarter. However, with a blown 17-point lead in Game 5 still fresh in everyone’s mind, things got a little uneasy when the Nets pulled to within 82-77 with 8:41 left. But the Bucks would not fold this time, as they answered with a 16-2 run that had Brooklyn coach Steve Nash pulling his starters with 4:45 left.

Jrue Holiday complimented Middleton and Antetokounmpo by scoring 21 points, grabbing eight rebounds and finishing with four steals.

Kevin Durant paced the Nets with 32 points, though he was just 2-for-8 from beyond the arc and the Bucks outscored Brooklyn by 25 points when he was on the court. James Harden chipped in 16 points, while Blake Griffin had 12.

The teams will now head back to Brooklyn for Game 7 on Saturday night with tip coming at 7:30 p.m.