Bucks guard Jrue Holiday credited the defense the Game 3 win over the Nets, and given that the final score was 86-83 it’s hard to blame him.
“Defense first,” Holiday told reporters. “Defense wins games, and it wins championships. I think to be able to get a stop even down with 2 seconds left means a lot. (The Nets) scoring 83 points … that’s the type of defense we want to play.”
After two games in Brooklyn, the Bucks looked like a lost cause. But suddenly there is life, as they trail the series, 2-1, with Game 4 also set for Milwaukee.
“If we got to muck up the game, then we got to muck it up,” Holiday said. “But when it comes down to it, we want to be aggressive on everyone.”
It may not hurt to pick it up offensively, too. Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 35 points, and star Giannis Antetokounmpo added 33. But the rest of the Bucks went a miserable 8-of-34 from the floor.
Also, Antetokounmpo took a playoff career-high eight threes as the Nets dared him to shoot. He made just one.
“It’s all about instinct,” he said. “Basketball is all about instincts. My instinct is telling me that’s the right decision to take it, I’ll live with that.”
The Nets continue to be missing James Harden, out with hamstring injury.
Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m. EST.
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