Top 100 moments of the 2018-19 NBA season, Part 2

45. Bucks-Celtics kicks off post-All-Star break with playoff-like game

In the first game following the All-Star break, the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics set the tone for the next few months with a playoff-like game that came down to the final shot.

With 32.5 seconds left, Khris Middleton drained a go-ahead 3-pointer to put the Bucks up by three. Kyrie Irving‘s layup cut the deficit to one with just five seconds of game time coming off the clock, but on the ensuing possession, Milwaukee wound up giving Boston another crack at it after a bizarre sequence.

Marcus Smart forced a jump ball with Giannis Antetokounmpo with 0.2 seconds left on the shot clock. Giannis tapped the ensuing tip to Brook Lopez, who pushed it toward the basket but missed. A shot clock violation was called, because even though the shot clock didn’t start until Lopez gained possession, he could not legally possess the ball and shoot a shot with 0.2 seconds on the clock.

That gave the Celtics the ball back with 3.5 seconds left. Irving caught the ball on the inbounds pass, but he seemed to stumble driving down the lane with Eric Bledsoe stuck to him like glue. He had to force an awkward shot that misfired, giving Milwaukee the win.

Al Horford paced the Celtics with 21 points and 17 rebounds, while Irving added 22. The Greek Freak led all scorers with 30 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, giving the Bucks a big-time win over a top contender for the Eastern Conference.