BOSTON — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 39 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Bucks to a 113-101 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of their second-round playoff series on Monday night, moving Milwaukee within one win of its first trip to the conference finals since 2001. The Bucks have won three straight since losing the opener of the best-of-seven series at home. They can eliminate the Celtics in Game 5 at home on Wednesday night and reach the East finals for the first time since the ’01 team of Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson fell to Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson and Dikembe Mutombo in seven games. One game after Antetokounmpo was two assists shy of a triple-double, he scored 17 points with 7 rebounds in the fourth quarter to help the Bucks pull away. The reserves George Hill, who scored 15 points, and Pat Connaughton, who had 9 points and 10 rebounds, again led the Bucks bench, which outscored Boston’s by 32-7. In what might be his last home game for the Celtics, Kyrie Irving scored 23 points with 10 assists. But he was 7 for 22 from the floor, including 1 for 7 from 3-point range. After leading all scorers with 26 points in Boston’s Game 1 blowout, he has made 19 of 62 shots and just 4 of 20 from 3-point range.<doc-sep>Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images The Milwaukee Bucks finished their second-round victory over the Boston Celtics and clinched a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2001 with a 116-91 win in Wednesday's Game 5 at Fiserv Forum. While Boston won the first contest, Milwaukee displayed its dominance as the top seed and won the next four to advance. Giannis Antetokounmpo spearheaded the effort with 20 points, eight assists, eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals with a plus-minus rating of plus-33, per ESPN. He was one of seven Bucks in double figures, as Eric Bledsoe (18 points and six rebounds) and Khris Middleton (19 points, eight rebounds and five assists) provided support. Kyrie Irving's shooting woes continued for the Celtics, and he finished 6-of-21 from the field for 15 points and once again failed to outplay Antetokounmpo. Convincing Victory Over Celtics Cements Bucks as Title Favorites Video Play Button McCollum and the Blazers Snapped Postseason Losing Streak for "Jennifer" Stars Invest in Plant-Based Food as Vegetarianism Sweeps NBA The NBA Got Some Wild Techs This Season Jarrett Allen Is One of the NBA’s Hottest Rim Protectors Wade's Jersey Swaps Created Epic Moments This Season Westbrook Makes History While Honoring Nipsey Hussle Devin Booker Makes History with Scoring Tear 29 Years Ago, Jordan Dropped Career-High 69 Points Bosh Is Getting His Jersey Raised to the Rafters in Miami Steph Returns to Houston for 1st Time Since His Moon Landing Troll Lou Williams Is Coming for a Repeat of Sixth Man of the Year Pat Beverley Has the Clippers Stealing the LA Shine LeBron Keeps Shredding NBA Record Books Young's Hot Streak Is Heating Up the ROY Race with Luka LeBron and 2 Chainz Form a Superteam to Release a New Album Wade's #OneLastDance Dominated February Warriors Fans Go Wild After Unforgettable Moments with Steph Eight Years Ago, the Nuggets Traded Melo to the Knicks Two Years Ago, the Kings Shipped Boogie to the Pelicans ASG Will Be Competitive Again If the NBA Raises the Stakes Right Arrow Icon The moment LeBron James left for the Western Conference is the moment the Celtics were supposed to be overwhelming favorites to reach the NBA Finals. After all, this team reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals last year without Irving and Gordon Hayward and appeared primed to ride their returns to the NBA Finals. The Bucks missed the memo, steamrolling their way to the No. 1 seed in the regular season and then making quick work of Irving and Co. in the second round. Discussions about Milwaukee's title chances start with the obvious—Giannis. The series was hanging in the balance after the two teams split the first two games, but Antetokounmpo rose to the occasion in the face of adversity. He tallied 32 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, three blocks and two steals in Game 3 and followed with 39 points and 16 boards in Game 4. Just like that, the Bucks were in full control with their MVP candidate playing like the best player in the world. It takes more than just one player to be championship favorites, though, and Milwaukee has a formidable supporting cast as well. Middleton took over Game 2 with 28 points and seven three-pointers and once again proved to be the ideal postseason complement to Antetokounmpo. He can drill threes when defenders collapse and create his own shot so all the pressure is not on No. 34's shoulders. Elsewhere, the trio of Bledsoe, George Hill and Pat Connaughton held their own against Irving in this series and should be ready for Kyle Lowry or Ben Simmons in the conference finals after passing that test. Milwaukee also has plenty of much-needed three-point shooting around Antetokounmpo in Mike Budenholzer's system, which was on full display when Nikola Mirotic and Malcolm Brogdon extended the lead to double digits with triples in the final minute of Wednesday's first half. Video Play Button McCollum and the Blazers Snapped Postseason Losing Streak for "Jennifer" Stars Invest in Plant-Based Food as Vegetarianism Sweeps NBA The NBA Got Some Wild Techs This Season Jarrett Allen Is One of the NBA’s Hottest Rim Protectors Wade's Jersey Swaps Created Epic Moments This Season Westbrook Makes History While Honoring Nipsey Hussle Devin Booker Makes History with Scoring Tear 29 Years Ago, Jordan Dropped Career-High 69 Points Bosh Is Getting His Jersey Raised to the Rafters in Miami Steph Returns to Houston for 1st Time Since His Moon Landing Troll Lou Williams Is Coming for a Repeat of Sixth Man of the Year Pat Beverley Has the Clippers Stealing the LA Shine LeBron Keeps Shredding NBA Record Books Young's Hot Streak Is Heating Up the ROY Race with Luka LeBron and 2 Chainz Form a Superteam to Release a New Album Wade's #OneLastDance Dominated February Warriors Fans Go Wild After Unforgettable Moments with Steph Eight Years Ago, the Nuggets Traded Melo to the Knicks Two Years Ago, the Kings Shipped Boogie to the Pelicans ASG Will Be Competitive Again If the NBA Raises the Stakes Right Arrow Icon That alone is enough to reach the NBA Finals as the Eastern Conference's top seed with home-court advantage, but Brogdon's return elevates the Bucks to another level. Wednesday was his first game since March 15 because of a foot injury, and he provides another secondary scorer (15.6 points per game) alongside the pair of All-Stars and formidable defense for the point guards to come. The Bucks' defensive rating was 101.6 when he was on court and 103.5 when he was off it during the regular season, per NBA.com. Defense is a common theme in Milwaukee after it boasted the league's best defensive rating this year. The Celtics had momentum heading into the second quarter, but the Bucks swarmed their shooters, cut off Irving's penetration and seized control by holding the visitors to only 39 points in the first half. The Bucks have a championship formula with an elite superstar, All-Star secondary option, talented supporting cast and stifling defense.<doc-sep>The Milwaukee Bucks have been without a key member of their backcourt throughout the duration of the postseason, but that is all expected to change for Game 5. Guard Malcolm Brogdon has been dealing with a foot injury and hasn't suited up since March. On Wednesday, though, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer announced that Brogdon is probable for Game 5 against the Boston Celtics (8 p.m. ET -- watch on fuboTV) and he's expected to play. Brogdon put together averages of 15.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while shooting 42.9 percent from the field throughout the regular season. The former Rookie of the Year last played against the Miami Heat on March 15. When Brogdon was on the floor throughout the regular season, he was one of the biggest perimeter threats that the Bucks possessed. Brogdon shot 42.9 percent from beyond the arc in 64 games for the team. The Bucks have been extremely successful this postseason with their only loss coming in Game 1 against the Celtics. Guard Khris Middleton has come up huge for Milwaukee with a 48.1 percent shooting clip from long range so far. Middleton is also averaging 19.1 points, which is second on the team behind Giannis Antetokounmpo. If the Bucks were to get Brogdon back, it would certainly give them even more depth in the backcourt and another perimeter threat that they could definitely utilize.<doc-sep>Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals just became an even greater challenge for the Boston Celtics, who are back in Milwaukee and now trail in the series 3-1. The Celtics have had a hard enough time with the Bucks over the last three games, losing two at the TD Garden. But that was without Malcolm Brogdon hovering around the three-point line for the Bucks. The oversized Bucks point guard (6″5′) has been sidelined since March 17 with a plantar fascia tear in his right foot. According to Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer, Brogdon is expected to play on Wednesday. Malcolm Brogdon is probable for Game 5 and is expected to play tonight per Coach Bud. #FearTheDeer #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/ttGt3BYL0u — Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) May 8, 2019 Brogdon isn’t back in full, though. Milwaukee Bucks sideline reporter Katie George reports there will still be a minutes restriction for the guard. Malcolm Brogdon is listed as probable tonight. Head coach Mike Budenholzer expects him to play (on a minutes restriction). Niko Mirotic will stay in the starting line up. — Katie George (@Katie_George05) May 8, 2019 Even Brogdon a 70 percent is going to make life harder for the scuffling Celtics. Brogdon was second on the team in field goal percentage (50.5) in 2018-19 and led Milwaukee with a 42.6 three-point percentage. Not to mention, he’s automatic from the free-throw line. Brogdon led the entire NBA with a 92.8 free-throw percentage.<doc-sep>
The Milwaukee Bucks are advancing to the Eastern Conference finals. The top-ranked Bucks finished off the Boston Celtics in Game 5 on Wednesday night, 116-91, to wrap up their second-round playoff series. They'll now move on to their first conference finals since 2001. Although Game 5 was an elimination game for the Celtics, it was one-sided almost from the beginning as Boston vastly struggled to shoot, converting on just 31.5 percent of its field-goal attempts. Giannis Antetokounmpo posted 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists while Kyrie Irving drastically struggled -- again -- on 6-of-17 shooting from the field while going 1-of-7 from 3-point range for 15 points. It'll be a long offseason for the Celtics as they await Irving's free agency decision and figure out which direction they need to head into in order to take that next step into becoming a championship contender. Meanwhile, the Bucks will await the winner of the Philadelphia 76ers-Toronto Raptors series with Game 6 taking place on Thursday night. Here are a few takeaways from the Bucks' series-closing Game 5 victory: Irving stinks it up on offense We all know that the Celtics have been up and down all season long. However, after their first-round sweep of a pesky Indiana Pacers squad and a convincing Game 1 defeat over the Bucks at Fiserv Forum, a lot of people were sipping on the Celtics' Kool-Aid. However, it became readily apparent -- especially in Game 5 -- that the Celtics' offense was one dysfunctional unit. While the Celtics struggled as a whole, the spotlight was entirely on Irving -- the self-proclaimed leader of Boston. As the one member of this squad who has actually won a championship ring, one would assume that Irving would lead the team in the right direction in an elimination game -- except he did the exact opposite. His final numbers were atrocious, but his shot selection was even worse. He repeatedly took ill-advised shots, many of them contested by much taller defenders such as Antetokounmpo, and he started out the first half shooting 5-for-17 -- putting the Celtics in a 13-point hole they would never recover from at halftime. The veteran point guard's night was summarized perfectly by this air ball: Irving converted on 25-of-85 field-goal attempts (30.1 percent) and 7-of-32 (21.8 percent) from 3-point range in the final four games of the series -- all Celtics losses. If this is the series that is going to cement Irving's legacy in Boston, it did -- for all of the wrong reasons. Bucks win despite Giannis not having huge impact Although Giannis' final numbers were rather solid, we all know those aren't near what the Greek Freak is capable of putting up. Furthermore, the final stat line is completely misleading as the Bucks dominated this game throughout -- even when Antetokounmpo wasn't doing much. During the first half, Giannis scored just six points on 2-of-6 shooting from the field to go along with six assists. Yet, the Bucks still led by 13 points at halftime as the Celtics converted on just 26 percent of their field-goal attempts in the opening half. Long story short, it was the Bucks' supporting cast along with their stifling defense that won them this game. Six other Bucks scored in double figures, including three players off the bench, led by George Hill's 16 points. Khris Middleton also had a sensational all-around game with his 19-point, eight-rebound, five-assist performance. If Antetokounmpo receives this type of support from his teammates, this Milwaukee squad will remain a very hard team to beat -- even for the Golden State Warriors. Celtics came out defeated from the get-go While the Celtics were technically still in the playoffs when Game 5 tipped off, the majority of the team had apparently already checked out after their Game 4 loss on Monday night. The energy from this Celtics squad was lethargic from the beginning and, with the exception of Marcus Morris and Marcus Smart, everybody had packed it in. In a trend that continued throughout this series and finally culminated with their Game 5 defeat, Boston players refused to move the ball around to create easy shots for their teammates. Entering this game, Boston was averaging 22 fewer passes and 4.5 fewer assists in the postseason than they averaged during the regular season.