National Basketball Association
Brooklyn 115, Milwaukee 107
When: 7:30 PM ET, Saturday, June 5, 2021
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
Officials: #16 David Guthrie, #55 Bill Kennedy, #29 Mark Lindsay, #36 Brent Barnaky
Attendance: 15750

Kevin Durant scored 29 points as the Brooklyn Nets survived an injury to James Harden and pulled away late for a 115-107 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Saturday in New York.

Game 2 is Monday in Brooklyn, and it could be played without Harden, who injured his right hamstring in the opening minute of the first quarter and did not return.

Kyrie Irving added 25 points and eight assists as the Nets shot 46.9 percent and had enough other scoring to compensate for Harden's absence.

Joe Harris chipped in 19 and five of Brooklyn's 15 3-pointers. Blake Griffin contributed 18 points and 14 rebounds, and matched a playoff career-high with four 3-pointers. Mike James added 12 points and seven rebounds.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 34 points. He shot 16 of 24 from the field and helped Milwaukee score 72 points in the paint.

Former Net Brook Lopez added 19 points and Jrue Holiday contributed 17. Khris Middleton was held to 13 points on 6 of 23 from the floor and 0 of 5 from 3-point range.

Milwaukee's potent offense in the paint was negated by an awful 3-point shooting display. The Bucks finished 6 of 30 (20 percent) from behind the arc and shot 44.6 percent overall.

Without Harden, the Nets still gradually took control, taking the lead for good a little over three minutes into the second quarter before building a 14-point lead through three quarters.

Durant shot 12 of 25, and two of his biggest baskets occurred after Antetokounmpo's 18-footer and 3-pointer made it 103-93 with 7:01 remaining. He converted a seven-footer in the lane, and following a missed layup by Middleton, Durant threw down a dunk off a no-look feed from Irving to make it 107-93 with 6:24 left.

Brooklyn clinched the win when Irving hit Harris with a bounce pass from underneath the rim for a corner 3-pointer that made it 115-96 with 3:41 remaining.

Antetokounmpo scored 10 points as the Bucks took a 32-30 lead after the opening quarter. The Nets used a 20-8 spurt to open a 59-48 lead on a layup by Irving with 3:22 remaining, and Milwaukee ended the half with a 13-4 run to get within 63-61 by halftime.

Irving's layup around Middleton gave the Nets their second double-digit lead at 83-73 with 4:21 remaining in the third, and Brooklyn ended the quarter with a 12-4 run to take a 98-84 edge into the fourth.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Milwaukee   Brooklyn
Giannis Antetokounmpo 34 Scoring Kevin Durant 29
Jrue Holiday 6 Assists Kyrie Irving 8
Khris Middleton 13 Rebounds Blake Griffin 14
Brook Lopez 3 Free Throws Made Kevin Durant 4
P.J. Tucker 2 Steals Blake Griffin 2
Giannis Antetokounmpo 2 Blocks Bruce Brown 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Milwaukee 107 44.6 6-30 11-19 21 58 3 4 14
Brooklyn 115 46.9 15-39 8-9 25 47 6 7 9
Upcoming Games
  • Brooklyn will play their next game at home against Milwaukee. The Nets have a W/L % of .688 after a win and .625 after a loss.
  • Milwaukee will play their next game on the road against Brooklyn. The Bucks have a W/L % of .696 after a win and .538 after a loss.