By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
What was once a 17-point lead quickly vanished after Kevin Durant delivered in the most crucial stretch of a pivotal Eastern Conference Semifinals game 5.
Entering the half facing a 43-59 deficit, Durant put up an all-time playoff performance after dropping an insane 49 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists to lead the Brooklyn Nets’ comeback against the Milwaukee Bucks, 114-108.
Durant played the whole 48 minutes of Game 5 and put the team on his shoulders with James Harden still battling some rust after returning from a hamstring injury.
Harden missed his first seven shots and turned the ball over several times that forced Durant to carry the heavy offensive load up to the final frame.
One of the unsung heroes for the Nets was Jeff Green who provided a spark in the third quarter and drained timely three-pointers to keep the Nets within striking distance and finished the game with 27 points.
Milwaukee and Giannis Antetokounmpo looked to blow the game wide open with his aggressiveness going to the cup and the rest draining treys off hot hands from Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday.
The Bucks, however, would ultimately lose the lead as their offense became stagnant and relied on 1-on-1 plays.
Leading 106-105 with 55 seconds left, Durant bailed the Nets out with a leaning three-point shot at the top of the key to give them the much-needed cushion and eventually the win.
The Bucks will be returning home for Game 6 and will seek to tie the series and force a win-or-go-home game 7.
