CELTICS VS BUCKS

Grant Williams' historic performance powered a 109-81 rout of the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 7 of the East semifinals at TD Garden ...

The absence of Khris Middleton was apparent for Milwaukee throughout the series but particularly in Game 7, as the Bucks couldn't find consistent scoring outside Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday (21 points). The Celtics poured in 22 3-pointers on 55 attempts, breaking their own playoff record they set in Game 1 of the series. The Celtics big man didn't see any floor time despite being active for the first time since Game 3. Williams made just two of his first seven 3-point attempts as the Bucks kept it close early on. Williams scored a career-high 27 points and tied an NBA Game 7 record with seven made 3-pointers on 18 attempts. That statement would have seemed ridiculous in late January when Boston was the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference at 23-24.

BOSTON (AP) Grant Williams scored a career-high 27 points and hit seven 3-pointers, Jayson Tatum added 23 and the Boston Celtics set a Game 7 record with 22 ...

. Milwaukee missed their final 11 3-point attempts of the first half. It was 63-53 when Tatum went to the bench after being whistled for his fourth foul. ''If you believe in the basketball gods, those things matter.'' That's the second-worst 3-point percentage in a playoff game ever (minimum 30 attempts). Boston used a whopping 54-point advantage from behind the arc to improve to 25-9 in decisive seventh games. We didn't overcome all the stuff we did during the regular season for that to be it. He said being able to have Game 7 at home mattered. The Celtics will face top-seeded Miami beginning Tuesday in a rematch of the 2020 East finals. Williams was timid early, missing 5 of his first 7 3-point attempts. I expected to play the way I did and for us to respond the way we did.'' They went 4 for 33 (12.1%) from the 3-point line. ''As much as it hurt to lose Game 5, I was looking forward to that challenge,'' Tatum said.

It all comes down to this! The Boston Celtics host the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 7 of their second-round matchup. We have a double dose of do-or-die action as the ...

Unfortunately, Hulu no longer offers a free trial. The defending champs will have to win Game 7 on the road if they want to continue their title defense, but if anyone can do it, it’s Giannis Antetokounmpo. Which team will move on to face the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals? We’re about to find out! Additional live streaming options below.

Williams hit seven 3s and led the team with 27 points.

Lopez camped out in the paint to prevent the Celtics from getting anything easy at the rim, and dared Williams to win Game 7. As the Bucks tried in vain to make one last comeback, Portis got loose in transition and went hard to the basket. "And in the playoffs you need that. That may have just been a defensive miscommunication, but the Bucks made a purposeful decision to leave Williams alone the rest of the time. They leaned into that approach in Game 7, and essentially spun a big roulette wheel that they hoped would land on "missed 3s." The message during Sunday's Game 7 was a bit different: "I told him let it fly," Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said.

BOSTON -- — In the fog of the Celtics' Game 5 loss to Milwaukee that dropped his team into a 3-2 series hole, Boston coach Ime Udoka made a prediction.

We didn’t overcome all the stuff we did during the regular season for that to be it. … Milwaukee missed their final 11 3-point attempts of the first half. I expected to play the way I did and for us to respond the way we did.” It was 63-53 when Tatum went to the bench after being whistled for his fourth foul. “If you believe in the basketball gods, those things matter.” .. At the end of the day, we wanted to come out, leave it all out there. Boston used a whopping 54-point advantage from behind the arc to improve to 25-9 in decisive seventh games. He said being able to have Game 7 at home mattered. That’s the second-worst 3-point percentage in a playoff game ever (minimum 30 attempts). “For me it was like, they're encouraging it, I might as well take advantage,” Williams said. The Celtics will face top-seeded Miami beginning Tuesday in a rematch of the 2020 East finals. Williams was timid early, missing 5 of his first 7 3-point attempts.

Williams hit seven 3s and led the team with 27 points.

Lopez camped out in the paint to prevent the Celtics from getting anything easy at the rim, and dared Williams to win Game 7. As the Bucks tried in vain to make one last comeback, Portis got loose in transition and went hard to the basket. That may have just been a defensive miscommunication, but the Bucks made a purposeful decision to leave Williams alone the rest of the time. They leaned into that approach in Game 7, and essentially spun a big roulette wheel that they hoped would land on "missed 3s." His final line was 27 points, six rebounds and two blocks on 10 of 22 from the field and 7 of 18 from 3-point land. The message during Sunday's Game 7 was a bit different: "I told him let it fly," Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said.

SportsLine's model simulated Game 7 of the Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics series in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

- Celtics vs. The Celtics are holding the Bucks to 1.03 points per possession in the first six games, including 1.00 points per possession in Game 6 on the road. Bucks? And which side of the spread hits in over 50 percent of simulations? The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50 percent of simulations. On the other end, Boston is shooting 37.1 percent from 3-point distance in the series, averaging 24.0 assists and only 12.5 turnovers per game. Now, the model has set its sights on Celtics vs. Before making any Celtics vs. Antetokounmpo is averaging 35.3 points, 13.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game in the first six games, and he is supported by 21.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists per contest from Jrue Holiday. Now, here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Bucks vs. Celtics odds. A berth in the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals will be decided on Sunday afternoon at TD Garden. The Boston Celtics host the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 7 of a second-round series in the 2022 NBA playoffs, with a win-or-go-home scenario set to unfold. The model enters the fourth full week of the 2022 NBA playoffs on a stunning 86-58 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning over $2,100.

Smart finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, five assists and zero turnovers in a season-saving win.

That's been the Achilles heel for the Celtics this season, and keeping his team out of the iso-ball trap was a point of emphasis for Smart. He took control, kept the ball moving and put his teammates in position to succeed. So instead of dumping the ball down to Tatum for an iso, he waited, let Brown come off a double screen and found him for a wide-open 3 that pushed the lead to 11 and essentially sealed the game. "We got all the confidence in the world in Smart. We knew that he was gonna come back and be the player that we need him to be on the road in Game 6. MILWAUKEE -- For those who have never believed in Marcus Smart as the right point guard for this iteration of the Boston Celtics, Game 5 was proof positive. This was his first playoff game without a turnover since Game 7 of the 2018 Eastern Conference finals. [Celtics assistant coach] Damon Stoudamire pulled me to the side and just told me -- cause I dropped my head a couple times in those possessions -- he was like 'I've never seen you do that, and I just want you not to lose confidence in yourself because we need you.' Coming into tonight I just wanted to go out there and make it up for my teammates and help 'em out and try to get this win."