KD did it all for the Nets, and he played the whole game.
On a night where the Nets were without Kyrie Irving and James Harden was visibly limited, Kevin Durant’s 49-point triple-double including 17 rebounds and 10 assists propelled the Nets to a Game 5 victory. He became the first player in NBA history with 45-plus points, 15-plus assists, and 10-plus rebounds in a playoff game, according to Shams Charania.
After the Bucks led by 16 points in the third quarter, the Nets would go on an 11-2 run that’d cut the lead to just eight points. Durant would go on to score the last seven third-quarter points for the Nets, cutting the lead to just six.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Durant hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the Nets their first lead of the game since the 11:29 mark of the first quarter. He finished with 20 fourth-quarter points, capitalizing his performance on a 26-foot three-pointer with 50 seconds left in the game. The Nets went on to win 114-108.
Harden’s return to the floor after playing just 43 seconds in the series was rough as most of his jumpers fell short. He scored just five points on 1-for-10 shooting but totaled eight assists and six rebounds. For the first time in his career, he went scoreless in a playoff half.
Jeff Green posted a playoff career-high of 27 points off the bench for the Nets. Through three quarters he shot 6-of-6 from three and 5-of-5 on contested three-point looks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo posted a double-double with 34 points and 12 rebounds. Khris Middleton scored 25 points for Milwaukee and Holiday ended with 19 points.
The Nets will travel to Milwaukee for Game 6 on Thursday to potentially close the series and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
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