Kevin Durant posts 49-17-10 as Nets turn back Bucks in Game 5

Kevin Durant turned in a classic performance as he led the Brooklyn Nets past the Milwaukee Bucks, 114-108, in Game 5 of their NBA Eastern Conference semifinals series on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).

Durant scored 49 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and dished out 10 assists in a massive triple-double performance to lead the Nets to a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. Durant also had three steals and two blocks in the game, all of those game-highs.

With Kyrie Irving out with an injury, and James Harden making his first appearance since Game 1 due to his own injury issues, Durant found some big contributions from unlikely places.

Veteran Jeff Green scored 27 points off the bench on 8-for-11 shooting from the field and 7-for-8 from three-point range. Blake Griffin, meanwhile, chipped in with 17 points, including 3-for-6 from three.

Harden finished with just five points, though he did contribute six rebounds and eight assists in the game.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 34 points, 12 rebounds and four assists.

The Bucks got off to a hot start, taking a 29-15 advantage after the first quarter thanks to Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton, who combined for 16 of those points.

With Antetokounmpo coming alive in the second period, they were able to extend that to a 59-43 halftime lead.

But the Nets were able to find their touch from the outside in the third quarter, and a three-point barrage led by Green and Griffin allowed Brooklyn to get back in it.

It was all Durant early in the fourth though, as he scored 14 of his team’s first 20 points, while assisting on two other baskets. That allowed Brooklyn to storm all the way back and take the lead.

Another three-pointer from Green – which put him at a perfect 7-for-7 from three at that point in the game – made it 104-100 for the Nets with 3:41 remaining.

But the game wasn’t over as Holiday and Antetokounmpo scored back-to-back buckets to tie the game again, 104-all.

The Nets moved ahead yet again after two Harden free throws followed a failed coach’s challenge for the Bucks, and Durant drilled in another three-pointer that made it 109-105 with 50.5 seconds left to play.

Durant then got a crucial defensive stop on Antetokounmpo before preserving the win with free throws down the stretch.

—JMB, GMA News