Nets vs. Bucks live score, updates, highlights from Game 7 of NBA playoff series

The Nets and Bucks are squaring off in a Game 7 on Saturday night, with the winner advancing to the NBA's Eastern Conference finals.

Brooklyn had a chance to eliminate Milwaukee on the road in Game 6, but Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo combined for 68 points and the Bucks stayed alive with a 104-89 victory forcing a winner-take-all game at Brooklyn's Barclays Center.

The Nets are going to be short-handed in Game 7, as they have been all series long. Kyrie Irving (ankle) will miss his third consecutive game, so Kevin Durant and James Harden will need to carry the load.

Durant has done most of the heavy lifting this series with Harden (hamstring) at less than 100 percent; the 7-0 forward has averaged 33.3 points per game during the first six.

Sporting News is tracking live scoring updates and highlights from Nets vs. Bucks to decide the teams' Eastern Conference semifinal series. Follow below for complete results from Game 7.

Nets vs. Bucks score Nets vs. Bucks live updates, highlights from Game 7

(All times Eastern)

10:32 p.m. — With 8:05 left in the fourth quarter, Kevin Durant has 33 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Giannis Antetokounmpo has 33 points, nine rebounds and five assists. The two stars are matching one another blow for blow.

10:28 p.m. — Jrue Holiday picks up his fourth foul and heads to the bench. He's one of Milwaukee's key defenders. How long will he sit, and will Brooklyn take advantage?

10:27 p.m. — Kevin Durant drives to the hoop for a nice lay-in early in the fourth quarter.

End of third quarter: Bucks 82, Nets 81

10:21 p.m. We've got a game. The Bucks erased their six-point halftime deficit with their 7-0 run to open the quarter and the rest of the third was a back-and-forth affair. It should be an exciting finish.

10:20 p.m. — James Harden checks out of the game for the first time. Bruce Brown replaces him for the final 0.9 seconds of the third quarter.

10:19 p.m. — Jrue Holiday finds Giannis for a dunk. He finishes strong and draws an and-one.

10:17 p.m. — James Harden has only made one 3-point shot tonight. It was a beauty.

10:13 p.m. — Foul watch: P.J. Tucker picks up his fourth foul of the game. He chats with Kevin Durant's mother Wanda after accidentally crashing into her son (KD was okay on the play).

10:10 p.m. — Blake Griffin is having a strong game for the Nets. He has 12 points and nine rebounds at the 4:05 mark in the third quarter. It's hard to believe that he's the same guy we saw playing for Detroit earlier this season.

10:06 p.m. — Both teams are heating up from distance, and the bigger fellas are getting in on the action. That included a bank shot 3-point make from Giannis.

10:04 p.m. — After practicing his free throws at halftime, Antetokounmpo looks more comfortable at the line in the second half. He has now made six of his 10 attempts from the line. 

10:02 p.m. — P.J. Tucker drains his second corner 3 of the half. That's his third 3-point make of the game.

9:59 p.m. — We're at the 8:34 mark in the third quarter and Durant and Harden have played every minute of this one. That's impressive for Harden, in particular, who has dealt with a hamstring injury during this series.

9:53 p.m. — The Bucks come out of the locker room with a 7-0 run. Antetokounmpo made a jump shot, a bucket near the rim and assisted on a Tucker 3-point shot. That forces Steve Nash to call a quick timeout.

9:50 p.m. —  The second half is about to start. A few players have multiple fouls. Blake Griffin has three while Bruce Brown, Jrue Holiday and P.J. Tucker all have two. As expected, fouls aren't get a big issue in Game 7.

End of second quarter: Nets 53, Bucks 47

9:36 p.m. —  The Nets won the first two quarters by three points each. At the half, Durant leads all scorers with 20 while Giannis leads the Bucks with 17. Between the two teams, bench players have only played a total of 23 minutes. It looks like each coach is going to ride his starters in Game 7.

9:34 p.m. — Giannis couldn't quite get a shot off before the buzzer. A tenth of a second more, and his last-second lay-in would've counted.

9:33 p.m. — There's a reason they call him the Greek Freak!

9:32 p.m. — The Nets have a lot of support from other New York sports teams at Game 7. Many members of the Yankees are there. So is Giants legend Eli Manning.

9:27 p.m. — Here's something you won't see every day: 6-5 James Harden won a jump ball over 6-11 Giannis Antetokounmpo.

9:23 p.m. — Oh boy, Giannis just air-balled a free throw while the crowd loudly counted down from 10. Even though the Nets can no longer time Antetokounmpo's free throws on the Jumbotron, there's nothing to stop the crowd from doing it on their own accord.

9:21 p.m. — Pat Connaughton has six points off the bench on two 3-point makes. All other bench scorers in the game? Zero points with four minutes left in the second quarter.

9:16 p.m. — Before that timeout, Bruce Brown threw down a slam dunk that thrilled the Brooklyn crowd. Also, he's wearing a mask now. He wore it earlier in the season while dealing with a broken nose.

9:14 p.m. — The Bucks called timeout to get Antetokounmpo off the court for a quick break. He sat for about a minute after the timeout before checking back in.

9:06 p.m. — Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer is going to use Giannis a lot tonight. "We'll play him as much as we need him," the coach told the TNT broadcast between two quarters.

End of first quarter: Nets 28, Bucks 25

9:03 p.m. — The Nets are shooting 52.9 percent from the floor, but the Bucks are hanging in there. Durant and Antetokounmpo lead all scorers with 10 points each. Durant also had one of the best assists of the first quarter, as you can see below.

9:02 p.m. — In case you're wondering what it looks like when you let Kevin Durant (6-10) post up Jrue Holiday (6-3), this is what happens. And Holiday is a well-respected defender who made the NBA All-Defensive first team for the 2020-21 season.

8:58 p.m. — Antetokounmpo is off to a great start. He has made four of his first five shots (10 points) and is doing it both near the rim and from distance.

8:51 p.m. — Bruce Brown just got whistled for a technical foul after he fouled Giannis going to the rack. The Brooklyn crowd wasn't a fan of the call.

8:44 p.m. — At the first commercial break with 6:42 left in the first, Kevin Durant was leading all scorers with five points. He's averaging 33.3 points per game this series.

8:41 p.m. — Giannis just took and made his first shot, a deep 3-point shot. That might be good news for the Bucks.

8:39 p.m. — Joe Harris had been 5 of 24 (20.8 percent) from 3-point range in his last four outings. He just made a wide-open one in transition to cap an 11-0 Brooklyn run. That might be bad news for the Bucks.

8:37 p.m. — Note: Charles Barkley actually did guarantee a win for the Bucks before the game. Take that for what it's worth. 

8:34 p.m. — The Bucks get on the board first. Fittingly, Brook Lopez nails a corner 3-point shot against his former team to start the scoring.

8:33 p.m. — Bucks win the tip but Holiday comes up short on a midrange jump shot. Here we go.

8:22 p.m. — Charles Barkley seems confident that Milwaukee can win if they play sound basketball and get good games out of their role players. It wasn't a Barkley guarantee, though.

8:15 p.m. — No surprises in either starting lineup. The Nets will start James Harden, Kevin Durant, Joe Harris, Bruce Brown and Blake Griffin. The Bucks will trot out Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, P.J. Tucker and Brook Lopez.

Nets vs. Bucks start time

• Time: 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT
• TV channel: TNT
• Live stream: Watch TNT

Game 7 between the Nets and Bucks is scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 19. It will be televised nationally on TNT.

NBA playoff schedule 2021

(All times Eastern)

June 20 June 22 June 24 June 26