The Milwaukee Bucks staved off elimination while the Los Angeles Lakers rebounded in NBA playoff games Sunday in Orlando.
Bucks stay alive
The Milwaukee Bucks lived for another day after surviving the Miami Heat 118-115 in overtime in Game 4 of their second-round Eastern Conference playoff series.
Khris Middleton hit a pair of free throws with 2.2 seconds left in the extra period to give the Bucks its first victory in the series.
Middleton scored 36 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 19 points and four rebounds, Brook Lopez and Eric Bledsoe had 14 points each, and George Hill chipped in 12 for the first-seed Milwaukee.
Donte DiVencenzo of the Bucks hit the second of two free throws to tie the game at 107-all and force overtime with 1.9 seconds left in regulation.
Bam Adebayo had 26 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists; Duncan Robinson had 20 points; Jae Crowder, 18; and Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic added 17 apiece for the fifth-seed Miami who still lead the series 3-1.
Miami could send the Bucks home with a victory in Game 5 Tuesday.
Middleton said their fighting spirit kept them in the game.
"Just keep fighting," he said. "I saw what my teammates did. We all fought."
The victory enabled the Bucks to avoid being the first team with the best regular season record since the San Antonio Spurs in 2001 to be swept in the playoffs.
Lakers even series
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets 117-109 and evened their Western Conference semifinals series at a game apiece.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis led the way for the Lakers. James had 28 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists while Davis added 34 points and 10 rebounds playing the middle. Markieff Morris chipped in 16.
The Lakers started hot and led halftime 67-51. However, the Rockets regrouped and held a two-point lead at the end of the third, 92-90.
In the fourth quarter, LeBron took over, making some flashy plays to tow the Lakers to victory.
James Harden topscored for the Rockets with 27 points. Eric Gordon made six 3-pointers and added 24 for the Rockets, P.J. Tucker had 18, Robert Covington 17, and Russell Westbrook scored 10 on for 4-for-15 shooting and had 10 rebounds.
Giannis hurt anew
Antetokounmpo hurt his ankle anew in the Bucks’ victory over the Heat.
His status for Game 5 is uncertain as a result, and his absence would definitely hurt the Bucks’ bid to stay alive.
Antetokounmpo first injured his ankle in Game 3 which the Bucks lost and put them on the brink of elimination.
He reinjured his ankle in the second quarter when he was fouled during a drive to the basket by Andre Iguodala of Miami.
Giannis was given two free throws and went 1-of-2 before limping to the locker room. He left the bubble arena wearing a protective boot on the affected leg.
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said Giannis’ is being evaluated for Game 5 Tuesday.
'As far as for Game 5, they're evaluating him now,'' Budenholzer said. ''He'll get treatment through the night, and we'll just see how he does over the next 24 to 48 hours.''
Childhood house of Kobe Bryant reportedly for sale
A house where the late NBA superstar lived during his childhood in Philadelphia, United States is for sale.
A report said the property which still has Bryant’s original metal basketball hoop beside the driveway is for sale for $899,900 (about P43 million). Measuring two-stories high and 3,400 square feet, it has five bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms.
Zion signs with Jordan Brand
Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans signed the largest rookie shoe deal in history with Jordan Brand worth $75 million for seven years.
Zion’s first signature model shoe will be named Jordan Z Code and will be released early next year.