Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo dunks for two of his 34 points in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Sunday against the Brooklyn Nets. Milwaukee won, 107-96. Morry Gash/Associated Press
MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton finally are getting a little more help, while Kevin Durant keeps seeing his superstar cohorts get hurt.
And now a second-round playoff series that once looked like a Brooklyn Nets runaway suddenly is up for grabs.
Antetokounmpo scored 34 points and the Bucks rolled to a 107-96 Game 4 victory on Sunday to tie their series with the Nets, who lost Kyrie Irving to a sprained right ankle.
The Bucks erased a 2-0 deficit by winning two straight in Milwaukee. Game 5 is Tuesday night at Brooklyn.
“We’re very happy, but we’ve got to keep getting better, keep playing together and hopefully we can go into Brooklyn and take one,” Antetokounmpo said.
Brooklyn’s immediate concern is the health of its superstar trio.
Irving got hurt midway through the second quarter and didn’t return. The Nets already are missing nine-time All-Star and 2018 MVP James Harden, who hasn’t played since the opening minute of Game 1 because of right hamstring tightness.
That puts even more pressure on Durant, who has carried the Nets this series and finished with 28 points and 13 rebounds Sunday. The only teammate in double figures was Irving, who had 11 points before leaving.
Nets Coach Steve Nash said after the game that X-rays taken on Irving’s ankle were negative and that the seven-time All-Star’s status for Game 5 is uncertain.
“We’ll have to see how it goes,” Nash said. “We’ll cross our fingers.”
After Irving made a basket in the paint to cut the Bucks’ lead to 44-40 midway through the second quarter, his left leg hit the right leg of Antetokounmpo on his way down and his ankle rolled. Irving landed awkwardly and clutched his right ankle as play briefly continued on the other end of the floor.
The Bucks got more balance in Game 4 after eking out an 86-83 victory in Game 3, when Khris Middleton and Antetokounmpo combined for 68 points – 79% of the Bucks’ scoring output. That marked the highest percentage of a team’s points that a duo had combined to score in any NBA playoff game ever.
Middleton scored 19 points, Jrue Holiday had 14, P.J. Tucker got 13 and Bryn Forbes added 10 for the Bucks.
“At this stage, it’s whatever it takes to win the game,” Bucks Coach Mike Budenholzer said. “It certainly helps to get more guys contributing, making shots. P.J. Tucker was phenomenal on both ends of the court.”
SUNS 125, NUGGETS 118: Phoenix Suns roared into the Western Conference finals for the first time in 11 years with a testy victory at Denver that completed a four-game sweep of the Nuggets and included MVP Nikola Jokic’s ejection.
Chris Paul scored 37 points and Devin Booker added 34 in a physical game marred by Jokic’s ejection.
Jokic was tossed with 3:52 left in the third quarter and the Nuggets trailing 83-76 after his hard, right-hand windmill swipe sent the basketball flying but also caught Cameron Payne in the face.
Officials assessed a double technical on Jokic and Booker and ejected the MVP after upping the call to a Flagrant 2. Jokic finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds in 28 minutes.
NOTES
76ERS: Philadelphia Coach Doc Rivers isn’t revealing his plan for replacing Danny Green in the 76ers’ lineup.
Rivers said Sunday “some of the unintended good consequences of having injuries during the regular season” are having options for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night. Green’s injury is a big loss for Rivers, but the coach has a deep bench.
Green is expected to miss at least two weeks after straining his right calf early Friday in a 127-111 win over the Hawks. The 76ers took a 2-1 lead in the series, putting Atlanta behind in a series for the first time in this postseason.
Hawks Coach Nate McMillan is trying to avoid putting added pressure on his players.
“I think all games are must-wins,” McMillan said. “If we don’t get tomorrow night we still have another chance in Philly, but you want to take advantage of your home court.”
Matisse Thybulle was Rivers’ first choice to replace Green in Friday night’s game. Thybulle scored only seven points, but he joined Ben Simmons to lead the defensive effort against Hawks point guard Trae Young.
Rivers could try to add offense by inserting Shake Milton or Furkan Korkmaz into the lineup. Korkmaz scored 14 points in Game 3, including 11 in the opening quarter. Milton had 14 points off the bench in the 76ers’ Game 2 win in Philadelphia.
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