They say "Game" and "7" are the two best words in sports, and Saturday in Brooklyn, they were proven right.
With a trip to the Eastern Conference finals at stake, the Nets looked to Kevin Durant and home-court advantage to carry them to a second-round playoff victory.
However, it was the Bucks, hot off their Game 6 win Thursday, who pulled off a major comeback to the tune of a 115-111 overtime victory after starting the series down 0-2.
It was the first Game 7 road win in Bucks franchise history. Previously, Milwaukee was 0-7 as the visiting team in Game 7s, and heading into Saturday, the home team had won each game in this series and each game of the regular-season series between these teams.
In this one, however, four quarters wasn't enough, as a clutch bucket from Durant with just seconds remaining sent the game to overtime before the Bucks came out victorious.
Here are the top moments from Saturday's Game 7:
Milwaukee Bucks 115, Brooklyn Nets 111 (Bucks wins series 4-3)
The star-studded crowd was electric on Saturday at Barclays Center.
It was back-and-forth to start the first quarter, but Joe Harris got things going for the Nets early, earning a lot of love from an injured Kyrie Irving sitting courtside.
After struggling in Game 6, Durant wasted no time getting into a rhythm in Game 7. He launched seven shots in the first quarter on his way to scoring 10 points to lead the Nets.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo mirrored Durant in the first, logging 10 points to keep the Bucks within three, 28-25, at the end of the quarter.
To kick off the second quarter, Bruce Brown kept the momentum going for the Nets with a slam that made the crowd erupt.
Durant came up with a huge block on his way to adding another 10 points in the second to guide the Nets to a 53-47 lead at the end of the half.
With that, Durant recorded his 12th consecutive 20-point game, passing Vince Carter (2006) for the longest 20-point streak in a postseason in Nets history.
For the Bucks, the second quarter proved to be quite the challenge. Antetokounmpo looked gassed early on and went 4-for-10 from the floor for a mere seven points. He also struggled at the free-throw line, thanks in part to the boisterous and relentless Brooklyn crowd.
Likewise, Khris Middleton struggled, going 0-for-3 and finishing the first half with just five points – a far cry from his flashy, 19-point, first-half performance in Game 6.
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The third quarter was all about the 3s between the teams' superstars.
PJ Tucker got his fourth personal foul late in the third after a big collision with Durant, but fortunately for KD, the 11-time All-Star's mother was in the crowd to keep an eye on the Bucks' forward.
The third quarter was all Antetokounmpo, though, as he scored 14 points to put the Bucks back in the lead by one, 82-81, heading into the final frame.
In the final seconds of the third, he added this picture-perfect dunk for good measure.
In the fourth quarter, Durant kept the game close and the atmosphere lively with a huge dunk, pushing him to 40 points on the night.
He became the fifth player in NBA history with at least four 30-point Game 7s, joining LeBron James (six), Elgin Baylor (five), Larry Bird (four) and Jerry West (four).
Then James Harden proved that the bank is open on Saturdays, sinking a 26-foot 3-pointer to beat the shot clock and extend Brooklyn's lead to 101-96 with four minutes to play.
The back-and-forth continued. Milwaukee led by four with one minute left, but the Nets weren't going away. With 1.6 seconds to go, Durant sunk what appeared to be the game-winning 3-pointer, but upon review, his feet just barely touched the line, and the basket counted for two, forcing overtime, with the score tied at 109.
In OT, Brown made the first bucket to put the Nets up 111-109, but it was the powerhouse duo of two-time MVP Antetokounmpo and two-time All-Star Middleton who made back-to-back field goals to put the Bucks up 113-111.
The Nets weren't able to pull off a comeback, as Harden fouled Bucks center Brook Lopez with 0.3 seconds left, and Lopez made both free throws to put the Bucks up 115-111 for the final score.
Antetokounmpo finished the game 15-for-24 for 40 points in 50 minutes, while Middleton went 9-for-26 for 23 points in 52 minutes.
After the final buzzer, Durant shared a heartfelt moment with his mother.
Both Durant and Harden played every minute of Saturday's game — 53 in all. Durant shot 17-for-36 for 48 points, the most ever in a Game 7. Harden finished 5-for-17 — including a perfect 10-for-10 at the free-throw line — for 22 points. He added nine rebounds and nine assists.
The Bucks advance to take on the winner of Game 7 between the Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks, which will conclude the conference semifinals on Sunday. Milwaukee went 2-1 against Atlanta and 3-0 against Philly in the regular season.
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