Myles Turner gives insight into the Milwaukee Bucks' clutch play and how Giannis Antetokounmpo wanted to step up.
The Milwaukee Bucks came up with enough clutch plays to hold off the Los Angeles Lakers for a 105-101 victory on Friday.
Two of the biggest plays down the stretch were made by Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo on LeBron James, stopping him twice on big possessions.
With 40 seconds remaining and the game tied at 101, Giannis came up with a block from behind on LeBron as he got to the rim.
Kevin Porter Jr. knocked down two out of three free throws on the other end to give the Bucks a 103-101 lead.
On the Lakers' next possession, with less than three seconds remaining, Giannis managed to poke the ball from behind away from LeBron and into the hands of Porter Jr. He would knock down two more free throws to fully ice the game.
Myles Turner Speaks On Giannis
Speaking after the game, Bucks center Myles Turner was asked about the defensive plays made by LeBron.
"He pursued it. He wanted to keep the matchup. He didn't want to switch. He was very adamant about that. When your best player steps up in moments like that on the defensive side of things, that's great for morale," he said.
Along with his defensive contributions, Giannis was the top offensive player for the Bucks, finishing with 21 points on 9-11 shooting
Myles Turner On Bucks Clutch Play
Milwaukee entered the fourth quarter up 86-77, but found themselves down 98-94 with three minutes remaining.
A three by Turner put the Bucks up 101-98.
"That's something I've done for a long time in my career. Something that I've established on this team that I can do: hit open shots and continue to make my imprint offensively. Every game is going to look a little different."
"Just continue to stay patient and don't worry about the numbers or outside of extracurriculars; just worry about winning. That's what I'm here to do," Turner said of his clutch three.
The Lakers responded with a three-pointer by Jake LaRavia to tie the game before Giannis' defense took over in the clutch. The Lakers are the best clutch team in the league, boasting a 13-0 record heading into the game.
Asked about his team's performance in the closing moment, Turner said, "We kept our poise. It was a big growth game for us. It's a group that is still trying to find that end-of-the-game identity. It was good for us to come out and feel that, especially on the road. We're building playoff habits, and this is one of those games that helps you build."