Celtics vs Bucks

The Celtics coughed up a 14-point fourth-quarter lead Wednesday at TD Garden, as the Bucks stormed back to steal Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals ...

White didn't score in the second half, but he finished with six assists and was a plus-eight on the night. The Celtics managed to win Game 4 without Williams and should have won without him Wednesday night. The Bucks racked up 17 offensive rebounds to Boston's five, none more important than Portis' late putback.

The series between Boston and Milwaukee is tied 2-2.

It will be tough for Al Horford to duplicate the success that he had last game, and the Bucks have been able to make life difficult on Tatum. Pick: Bucks +5.5 Tatum is obviously central to Boston's success on the offensive end, so if the Bucks can continue to slow him, they'll give themselves a solid shot of advancing. On the other side, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way in defeat for Milwaukee with 34 points, 18 rebounds and five assists.

Through five games, the Eastern Conference Semifinals series between the Celtics and Bucks has checked all the boxes of an instant classic.

While it may be a long shot, Middleton is a player that has scored 40 points on the NBA Finals stage and immediately adds another dynamic to the Bucks on both ends of the floor. In order to force a Game 7, it might require a 40-point performance, but Tatum is more than capable. It starts with Tatum, who has looked like a top 10 player in the league during these playoffs while Brown has had numerous spurts where he looked unstoppable. In Milwaukee's thrilling Game 5 comeback, Giannis put up 40 points (on 16-of-27 shooting) and pulled down 11 rebounds for the game. The Bucks take their home floor with an opportunity to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the third time in four years while the Celtics look to dig deep to pull out another road win in order to stave off elimination and set up a Game 7 on their home floor. In Game 3, the Celtics came back from 13 down to start the fourth quarter to take the lead with under two minutes remaining, only for the Bucks to put it away with the play of Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday. In Game 4, the play of Al Horford sparked a second-half comeback after the Celtics trailed by double digits late in the third quarter before flipping the script to pull away for an eight-point win.

The Boston Celtics play against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum The Boston Celtics are spending $69048363 per win while the Milwaukee Bucks are spending ...

Will Tatum, Brown and the Celtics be able to force a Game 7?

Questions like that are what the playoffs are all about, and now it's Tatum and Brown's turn to provide an answer. This is well and truly Tatum and Brown's team, and it would be a massive disappointment if they bow out in the second round, even to the defending champions. The Celtics have already won once in Milwaukee, and are more than capable of doing so again. Tatum has established himself as one of the best players in the league, Brown is an All-Star, they're getting some of the best basketball of Al Horford's career and they have an elite defense that has been dominant at times in the playoffs. Both of those defeats were frustrating, but they felt like positive stepping stones for a young team at the time. The duo, which has been together since Tatum arrived in the 2017 draft, has already made a number of deep playoff runs together.

The Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics face off on Friday at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee in Game 6 of their NBA Playoffs series.

Celtics vs. Warriors vs. Mavs vs. Celtics vs. Warriors vs. Mavs vs. - 76ers vs. - 76ers vs. Clive Smith writes: "We have the Celtics (+1.5) as the best bet in this contest. If the Celtics tighten up on the boards, I like the Celtics to force a Game 7." The Celtics won in the paint, scored more in the fast break, and overall shot better from the foul line. The Celtics better hope Robert Williams is available for Game 6.

BOSTON -- — Bobby Portis made a putback off Giannis Antetokounmpo's missed free throw with 15 seconds left, Jrue Holiday snuffed Marcus Smart on Boston's ...

“He’s done a little bit on the court and we’re feeling good about where he is and optimistic,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. Pat Connaughton made a pair of free throws with six seconds left, then Holiday stole the ball from Smart on his desperation dash for a potential game-tying 3-pointer. It was 93-79 with 10:19 to play — Boston's biggest blown lead in the playoffs in more than 25 years. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft were also at the game. And still the Bucks trailed Boston by 14 points in a game that could send the defending NBA champions to the brink of elimination. He’s a winner.” The Bucks can advance to the Eastern Conference finals with a victory in Game 6 at home Friday night. Milwaukee remained without Khris Middleton, who has done some on-court work as he attempts to come back from a sprained left knee. ”He’s a winner. "We talked about showing our resolve, and we made it tougher on ourselves now. Holiday finished with 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists and Portis added 14 points and 15 rebounds. But we come together,” said Holiday, who also hit the tying 3-pointer with 43 seconds left.