The Milwaukee Bucks got back in the series Friday with a 116-92 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of their first-round NBA Playoffs series. The Bucks easily covered the spread as 4.5-point favorites, and the game went over the total of 206 points.
The teams turn their focus to Game 4, which will tip off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday in Milwaukee. Odds for that game will soon be released at BetDSI Sportsbook; they figure to be similar to the Game 3 line.
A hot start
The game was tied 6-6 when the Bucks embarked on a 10-0 run to take control of the game. Their lead was 27-12 by the end of the first quarter, as the Celtics made just 2 of 19 shots with seven turnovers in the quarter.
Milwaukee led 58-35 at halftime and led by as many as 28 points in the second half; Boston never drew closer than a 14-point deficit.
The game was in sharp contrast to the series’ first two outings. Game 1 went down to the wire before Boston won in overtime, and the Celtics were the ones who controlled Game 2 from start to finish.
The Greek Freak gets help
Bucks star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo had a good night, scoring 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting to go with 5 rebounds and 6 assists, but the “Greek Freak” had plenty of help on this night.
Khris Middleton led Milwaukee with 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Eric Bledsoe (8 of 13) and Jabari Parker (7 of 12) also shot well and contributed 17 points each. Thon Maker had 14 points and 5 blocks off the bench.
As a team, the Bucks shot a healthy 57.0 percent from the floor and nearly 50 percent (16 of 33) from 3-point range.
Al Horford led the Celtics with 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting, and Greg Monroe added 15 points and 12 rebounds off the bench, but Boston was plagued by poor shooting. The Celtics were 32 of 80 for 40.0 percent from the floor.
The Bucks’ defensive length bothered Boston, with 13 blocks helping keep the Celtics’ shooting percentage down.
The big picture
The Bucks were underdogs to begin the series and even after the lopsided loss, the Celtics — who opened the season among the Eastern Conference favorites before injuries took their toll — still have home-court advantage, but Milwaukee can even the series if it wins again Sunday.
