NBA playoffs: Celtics win Game 4 in Milwaukee to even series; Warriors rally to win
Al Horford and Jayson Tatum scored 30 points apiece and led the Boston Celtics’ fourth-quarter comeback in a 116-108 victory over the Bucks on Monday night in Milwaukee to tie their Eastern Conference semifinal at two games apiece.
The two teams have alternated victories in this best-of-seven series, which continues Wednesday with Game 5 in Boston.
Horford scored 16 points and Tatum 12 in the fourth quarter to help the Celtics outscore the defending NBA champion Bucks 43-28 in the final period. Horford’s 30 points were a career playoff high for the 35-year-old veteran.
Tatum scored eight points and Horford had six during a 14-2 run that put the Celtics ahead for good and gave them a 106-96 advantage with 3:33 left. The Bucks wouldn’t cut the margin below six the rest of the way.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 18 rebounds and five assists for the Bucks.
Tatum, who had five assists, bounced back from a poor Game 3, when he had 10 points and shot four for 19. Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart each added 18 points for the Celtics.
Luka Doncic had 26 points and Dallas took advantage of Chris Paul’s foul trouble to beat the Phoenix Suns 111-101 on Sunday to even the series 2-2.
Horford sparked the rally after Boston trailed by 11 late in the third quarter.
The Celtics tied the score when Horford capped a 10-0 run by driving the baseline and dunking while drawing a foul on Antetokounmpo with 9:51 left. Horford, who normally isn’t very expressive on the court, celebrated the dunk by screaming and pumping his fists.
As Horford landed after completing his dunk, his left arm hit Antetokounmpo’s face, resulting in a technical foul. Jrue Holiday and Horford each sank free throws to make it 81-all.
Horford was just getting started.
After Milwaukee’s Brook Lopez scored the game’s next four points to put the Bucks back ahead, the Celtics responded with a 7-0 run and broke an 85-all tie on Horford’s three-pointer with 8:08 left.
The Bucks regained the lead 94-92 when Antetokounmpo hit a driving layup and drew a foul on Horford with 6:02. But after Antetokounmpo missed the free throw, Horford started the 14-2 run that put the Celtics in control.
Horford hit a corner three-pointer to put the Celtics back ahead with 5:40 left and followed that with a conventional three-point play that made it 98-94 with 5:09 remaining. Later in the spurt, Tatum had a conventional three-point play and a three-point basket on consecutive possessions.
The Celtics were playing without post player Robert Williams because of soreness in his surgically repaired left knee. The Bucks played a seventh straight game without three-time All-Star forward Khris Middleton because of a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee.
Celtics coach Ime Udoka expressed optimism before Tuesday’s game that Williams would be available for Game 4. The Bucks haven’t given an indication on when Middleton might return.
Warriors 101, Grizzlies 98
SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry converted eight free throws over the final 45.7 seconds on the way to 32 points, leading the Golden State Warriors’ fourth-quarter comeback for a 101-98 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night and a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
Curry also dished out eight assists and grabbed five rebounds as Golden State rallied to win without coach Steve Kerr after he tested positive for COVID-19 less than two hours before tipoff.
Curry took charge just like he has so many times on the playoff stage and now his Warriors are one win from a trip to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2019. He tied it at 90 on a fall-away baseline jumper with 3:25 to go and his two free throws with 45.7 seconds to go gave the Warriors a 94-93 lead, their first of the night.
Tyus Jones had 19 points, six rebounds and five assists as Memphis missed injured All-Star Ja Morant. Dillon Brooks returned from a one-game suspension and struggled mightily, missing a 3-point try with 53 seconds left and finishing 5 for 19 with 12 points, eight assists and five rebounds.
Andrew Wiggins had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Klay Thompson scored 14 points despite missing all seven of his 3-point attempts for the cold-shooting Warriors, who didn’t have to contend with do-everything Morant this time. The Grizzlies guard missed the game with soreness in his right knee after Jordan Poole grabbed him while going for a loose ball late in Game 3 — leading Morant and Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins to question Poole’s intentions.
It remained unclear whether Morant would be back for Game 5 on Wednesday in Memphis.
Brooks sat out Game 3 as a penalty by the league for his Flagrant 2 foul that injured Gary Payton II in Game 2, when Brooks hit the Golden State guard over the head on a driving layup attempt and Payton fell hard and broke his left elbow. Kerr called it a “dirty” play and said Brooks had broken an NBA code of conduct.
Brooks was booed nearly every time he touched the ball, fouled or when he checked back into the game.
Golden State trailed 69-62 going into the fourth quarter after Desmond Bane’s 32-foot 3-pointer beat the third-quarter buzzer. However, both teams struggled all night to make their 3s.
Kerr was replaced by associate head coach Mike Brown, who agreed Sunday to become the Sacramento Kings new coach after this postseason run.
Poole scored 14 off the bench for the Warriors as they survived a nail-biter following a postseason-record point total in Saturday’s 142-112 Game 3 blowout.
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