Milwaukee is just one win away from its first title since 1971 following a 123-119 win over Phoenix Saturday night in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

The Bucks are in that position because they managed to overcome a 16-point deficit at the end of the first quarter, the third-largest comeback in a Finals game in the last 25 years. They did it by putting together a monster second quarter that saw them score 43 points, tied for the most by a road team in a single quarter in Finals history. It allowed the team to take a 64-61 lead into the half.

“We don’t stop. We keep coming. And this team does that so well,” Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “Even if we’re down 0-2 (in the series), we’re down 16 points, we keep coming, we keep competing, because we know the game is long.”

Milwaukee had a 10-point lead with 3:17 left but the Suns would not go away. They trimmed the lead all the way down to one and had a chance to take the lead in the final 20 seconds before guard Jrue Holiday ripped the ball away from Phoenix star Devin Booker in the lane.

“First-team all-defensive play,” guard Pat Connaughton said. “It was a defensive play of the year.”

Holiday then got out on the break and found Antetokounmpo for a monster and-1 alley-oop.

“He’s an incredible defender, strong hands and got in there and took it,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “I think most times you just want to pull it out and run the clock. But Jrue and Giannis in a two-on-one, just to put to put two points on the board. I think just trusting their instincts, trusting them. Giannis getting a bucket and putting us up (three points). They’re playing, they’re competing. That’s what we need.”

JRUE STEAL. GIANNIS DUNK!!! pic.twitter.com/O0KhiXILBV

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) July 18, 2021

Antetokounmpo would miss the free throw but was able to tip it back out to Khris Middleton. He got fouled and made 1 of 2 from the line to give Milwaukee its final margin of victory.

For just the third time this postseason, Milwaukee’s big three of Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Holiday all scored 20 or more points in the same game. The trio combined for 88 points, led by Antetokounmpo’s 32 and Middleton’s 29.

But it was the 27 points from Holiday that had everyone buzzing afterward. While he has continued to be a very good defender, the point guard has struggled to shoot it for much of the series. But Saturday night he was 12-for-20 from the field and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. He added 13 assists and Milwaukee was 14 points better than Phoenix when he was on the court.

“One of the things we talk about all the time in the locker room is aggressive Jrue,” Connaughton said. “When he’s aggressive, he’s one of the tougher point guards to handle — his size, his athleticism, his skill set. He can do so many things on the court when he’s aggressive and getting to the paint, hitting shots like we saw tonight and finding guys. He’s a balanced player and really skilled player that we’re lucky to have.”

Milwaukee also got a huge lift off the bench from Connaughton and Bobby Portis. Connaughton had 14 points (4-for-6 3P), while Portis gave the Bucks nine points, three rebounds and two steals.

Both teams were elite offensively. Milwaukee shot 57.8% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc, but Phoenix may have been even better. They hit 55.2% from the field and a crazy 68.4% from deep. Booker accounted for 40 points, Chris Paul had 21 points and 11 assists, while Deandre Ayton 20 points and 10 rebounds.

“We knew this wasn’t going to be easy. We didn’t expect it to be. It’s hard,” Paul said about losing three straight games for the first time since January. “Coach said it all year long, everything we want is on the other side of hard and it don’t get no harder than this. So, we got to regroup, learn from this game, but it’s over, we got to get ready for Game 6.”

The Suns were the best road team in the NBA this season and will come to Milwaukee with their back against the wall.

“We got to win one game to put (Milwaukee) back on the plane. That’s it,” coach Monty Williams said. “And you have to have that determination that you’re willing to do whatever it takes to put them back on the plane.”

Milwaukee understands nothing is guaranteed just because it will be playing Game 6 at home, a place it has lost just once this postseason.

“Obviously we know what the deal is,” Antetokounmpo said. “It’s one game away from being an NBA champ, being in the history of this game, being always there. You know, nobody can take that away from you. Doing it in front of our families and our fans, it’s big. It’s going to be big.

“But we’ve got to be in the present and stay humble as much as possible. When this team is humble, this team is very, very dangerous.”

Still, the idea of winning the city’s first championship in 50 years — #Bucksin6 no less — is right there for the taking.

“We don’t really care if it’s Bucks in whatever; we just want it to be Bucks, right,” Connaughton said. “The job’s not done. It was a great win (Saturday). We had each other’s backs and there was ebbs and flows to the game that I think really brought us together and showed us that we can fight through adversity. But we’ve still got one more.”