The Milwaukee Bucks are just one win from claiming the franchises first NBA Championship in 50 years after a stunning 123-119 win over the Phoenix Suns.
The Suns will now have to win at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Wednesday AEST to force a game seven, as the Bucks stole a win in Phoenix
The Bucks have had to be dragged back from a 2-0 deficit by the side’s two-time MVP superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, whose commanding performances brought it back to a 3-2 lead for Milwaukee.
But after a slow start to the series, his teammate Kris Middleton and Jrue Holiday have joined the party as the Bucks move to the cusp of immortality.
In a high scoring game five, the Bucks held off the Suns 123-119, putting the exclamation point on the victory with a stunning finish.
With the Suns nearly able to smell the paint at their own end and one point down, Holiday came up with a clutch steal on Devin Booker, before the alley-oop to Antetokounmpo to go up by three — and draw a foul.
The moment of the match for the Bucks.Source:Supplied
Antetokounmpo had nothing but praise for his teammate and the clutch play.
“Big time steal by Holiday and great pass,” Antetokounmpo said. “He trusted me, threw the ball up there. It was a great play by Holiday.”
Holiday was humble, saying: “I was just in the right place at the right time”.
“At first I thought he was going to shoot it and I was going to be behind him to try and contest and maybe try to bother him,” Holiday added. “But once he pump faked I felt like maybe I should stay down and he literally turned into me … right place at the right time.”
The internet lost its collective mind over the play, with Colorado based reporter George Stoia calling it “one of the greatest plays in NBA Finals history”.
The Bucks are just one win away.Source:Getty Images
“One game away,” Holiday said. “We can’t get too high on the horse. We know the last game is the hardest to win. We know they will come out and play desperate. We’ve got to do the same thing.”
Led by32 points from Giannis Antetokounmpo, Middleton’s 29 points and Holiday’s 27 points and 13 assists powered the Bucks to victory.
For Phoenix, every game is now sudden death, something that isn’t lost of Suns star Deandre Ayton.
“Tables are turned. Now we’re the desperate team,” Ayton said. “We had our chances of being up and trying to finish the job. They’re up and now we got to go get it.”
Booker, who scored a game-high 40 points, hit a layup and a three-pointer and Chris Paul followed with a layup to pull the Suns within 120-119.
— with AFP