Giannis erupts for 49 as Bucks edge Nets

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a season-high 49 points and outdueled Kevin Durant as the host Milwaukee Bucks edged the Brooklyn Nets, 117-114, on Sunday, May 2 (Monday, May 3, Manila time).

Antetokounmpo, who missed their game against the Chicago Bulls on Friday with an ankle injury, delivered the dunk that put the Bucks ahead for good with 7:57 left.

His 49 points were the third-most of his career and his most since he scored 50 points against the Utah Jazz in November 2019.

Khris Middleton had 26 points and 11 rebounds as the Bucks (40-24) maintained their hopes of finishing first in the Eastern Conference for the third straight season.

Milwaukee closed within3 games of the East-leading Philadelphia 76ers (43-21) and Nets (43-22).

Jrue Holiday had 18 points and Bryn Forbes 12 points for the Bucks.

Durant tied a season-high with 42 points but missed a pair of potential game-tying three-pointers in the final 30 seconds, including a shot that glanced off the rim just before the buzzer.

DeAndre Jordan finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Kyrie Irving scored 20 points. Off the bench, Landry Shamet netted 17 points and Blake Griffin added 11.

The Nets led by as many as 14 in the 1st quarter before the Bucks chipped away in the 2nd, when they went on a quarter-ending 18-9 run to take a 62-59 lead.

A Holiday three-pointer tied the score at 52-52 with 3:20 left, while Forbes’ three-pointer put Milwaukee ahead 57-54 – its first lead since 2-0.

The Bucks led by as many as 7 in the 3rd, which ended with 3 lead changes and one tie in the final 1:30. A jumper by Antetokounmpo tied the score at 90-90 before Holiday missed a three-pointer and Brook Lopez whiffed on a putback just before the buzzer.

Griffin and Shamet opened the 4th with three-pointers for the Nets, but Middleton scored 6 straight points to spark the Bucks’ 11-0 run that included an Antetokounmpo go-ahead dunk.

Milwaukee twice led by 7 before the Nets pulled within 3 points 3 times. Brooklyn was 0-for-3 on potential game-tying three-pointers, with Irving missing a chance to knot the score with 1:28 remaining. – Rappler.com