The Milwaukee Bucks survived a tough shooting night by edging out the Brooklyn Nets 86-83 in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. The two teams struggled to put the ball in the hole in the final period until Khris Middleton and Kevin Durant started making shots.
Giannis Antetokounmpo broke out of a poor Game 2 performance to score 33 points and grab 14 rebounds. Meanwhile, Khris Middleton recovered from two consecutive bad outings to net 35 points, including a game deciding two points from the free-throw line.
Giannis has been more aggressive in the first 90 seconds of Game 3 than he was for the entirety of Game 2.
— Kane Pitman (@KanePitman) June 10, 2021
The Brooklyn Nets once again held the Milwaukee Bucks below 100 points but were also unable to make their own shots in Game 3. Though Kevin Durant scored 30 points, he made just 11 of 28 from the field.
Brooklyn was held to its lowest point total of the season. Milwaukee matched its lowest point total of the season following its 125-86 loss in Game 2.
“It's interesting that we lose a game because of our offense," Nets coach Steve Nash said. “It was just a tough game. We couldn't find a rhythm. The defense was solid."
The Bucks raced to a 21-point lead but had to come from behind, scoring the final six points after Durant's 3-pointer made it 83-80 with 1:23 to play.
