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After a chaotic stretch of Game 3 between the Bucks and Celtics saw a controversial foul call, an intentionally missed free throw and a game-winning layup that wasn’t, the Bucks held serve at home and defeated the Celtics 103–101 to take a 2–1 series lead.
The chaos started with less than 10 seconds to play. With the Celtics trailing 103–100, Boston guard Marcus Smart gathered himself on the right wing and appeared to be going up into a three-point shot attempt. Smart was fouled by Bucks guard Jrue Holiday, but it was ruled as a foul on the floor, which gave Smart two free throws in the bonus instead of three free throws that would have potentially tied the game in the waning seconds.
Going to the line shooting two free throws, Smart made the first free throw before intentionally missing the second. Smart missed the free throw that hit the backboard and the rim, bounced back into his hands, and on a scramble gave him a contested point blank look that would have tied the game.
Smart missed the shot, but after the ball was tipped around a couple of different times, the ball found the hands of Al Horford. After the chaos at the rim, Horford got the ball in his hands with less than a second to go. He had an uncontested look at the rim that he made, but time had already expired, sealing the victory for the Bucks.
While Celtics coach Ime Udoka questioned the late foul call that could have put Smart on the line to shoot three free throws instead of two, Boston could live to rue some self-inflicted mistakes and missed opportunities Saturday afternoon.
Boston shot the ball poorly for much of the first half, but despite their struggles from the field, took a 50–46 lead into halftime. However, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo paced Milwaukee offensively in the first half, and keyed a run in the third quarter that helped his squad build a 14-point lead. Boston threw up brick after brick, turned the ball over incessantly and frequently lost players on defense throughout the third quarter as Milwaukee outscored the Celtics 34–17 in the frame.
After poor stretches defensively in the third, the Celtics tightened things up on that end of the floor in the fourth quarter, and began getting better looks at the rim to pull themselves back into the ballgame late. Jaylen Brown and Horford keyed a fourth quarter run to bring Boston to the cusp of an improbable victory, as the Celtics outscored the Bucks 34–23 in the final frame. Brown scored 27 points, while Horford added 22 points and 16 rebounds. The Celtics needed the lift from the duo, as leading scorer Jayson Tatum turned in one of the worst playoff performances of his career to date. The Boston star finished with just 10 points on 4-for-19 shooting.
On this day, however, the Celtics simply had no answer for Antetokounmpo, who snapped out of a two-game offensive slump to finish with 42 points and 12 rebounds. Holiday added 25 points while Brook Lopez tallied 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Bucks.
It will be a quick turnaround for both teams, as Game 4 will be played on Monday night at Fiserv Forum. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
