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Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered with 40 points and 13 rebounds while Khris Middleton went for 23 points and hit timely buckets as the Milwaukee Bucks won Game 7 on the road against the Brooklyn Nets in overtime 115-111. It was Milwaukee’s first road Game 7 victory in franchise history after losing the previous seven contests. Kevin Durant paced the Nets with 48 points, but missed shots late to give the Bucks the win. James Harden struggled from the field early, ultimately getting 22 points in the loss.
The Bucks covered the spread at 0.5. The over hit at 215.5. The Nets, the favorite to win the NBA title according to DraftKings Sportsbook, are now out of the running.
The Nets made two runs in the second quarter to open up leads of nine and and 10, but the Bucks battled back both times. Antetokounmpo continued to be aggressive, finding ways to easy baskets or free throw attempts. Brooklyn led 53-47 at the half. The teams traded blows for much of the third quarter, with Milwaukee holding a one-point advantage going into the final period.
It appeared the Nets would pull away when Harden made a ridiculous bank shot to give the Brooklyn a 101-96 lead, but Middleton answered with a triple of his own on the next possession. Jrue Holiday, who was 2-16 in the first three quarters, went 3-5 in the final period with a clutch triple to give the Bucks a 104-101 lead. Durant missed a bucket to potentially seal a Milwaukee win, but the Nets were able to get two stops. They trusted their star forward to deliver and Durant did with two jump shots to send the game to overtime, including this buzzer beater.
Middleton continued to find his rhythm in overtime, hitting a go-ahead shot to give Milwaukee a 113-111 lead. Durant would go on to miss two shots to give the Bucks the win.
Milwaukee will await the winner of the 76ers-Hawks series in the conference finals.