Dramatic comeback has Bucks one win away from conference finals

May 11, 2022
|In Bucks
|By Zach Heilprin

Milwaukee is one win away from a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals for a third time in four seasons after a dramatic 110-107 comeback win over Boston in Game 5 Wednesday night.

The Bucks trailed by 14 points early in the fourth quarter and by 6 points with 1:45 left. But clutch plays down the stretch from Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and Bobby Portis handed them a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. Milwaukee outscored Boston 31-14 over the final 10:16 of the game and 11-2 in the last 2:12.

Antetokounmpo got the late run started by grabbing a pass from Wesley Matthews off an offensive rebound and drilling a 3-pointer. Two possessions later, Holiday pulled up from deep in transition with Jaylen Brown right in his face and hit a 3-pointer of his own to tie the game 105-105. After a pair of free throws from Jayson Tatum with 31.1 seconds left, Antetokounmpo went to the line for two himself. He hit the first but missed the second. Two Boston players tried to grab the ball but knocked it away from each other. Portis grabbed it and put it back in to give the Bucks a 108-107 lead with 11.4 seconds left.

The Celtics had a chance to take the lead back on their next possession, as Smart beat Pat Connaughton baseline and went up for a layup only to have Holiday come from behind to block it. The veteran grabbed the ball and alertly threw it off Smart, giving Milwaukee possession with 6.6 seconds left. A couple Connaughton free throws and another Holiday steal of Smart left a once raucous TD Garden dead silent.

Antetokounmpo led the way with his second 40-point game of the series. He added 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 cut above his eye after Connaughton accidently hit him late in the game. Holiday scored 24 points, hitting 4 3-pointers, while also delivering 8 rebounds and 8 assists. The Bucks were 14 points better than Boston when he was on the floor.

Portis gave Milwaukee 14 points and 15 rebounds off the bench, and Connaughton added 13 points. Eleven of their combined 27 points came in the fourth quarter.

Boston got 34 points from Tatum and 26 points from Brown. Smart had 15 points, but also the crucial mistakes down the stretch.

The Bucks now return to Fiserv Forum for Game 6 on Friday with a chance to punch their ticket to the conference finals and send Boston home for the summer.