BOSTON — Terry Rozier thought he won the game in regulation with a 3-pointer.


He wound up winning it in overtime from the foul line instead.


Rozier’s 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds left in regulation was matched on a Khris Middleton launch at the buzzer to force overtime in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs Sunday at TD Garden.


But Rozier had the last laugh as he hit five free throws in the last minute of overtime – with eight of his 23 [...]

By Scott Souza The MetroWest Daily News

BOSTON — Terry Rozier thought he won the game in regulation with a 3-pointer.

He wound up winning it in overtime from the foul line instead.

Rozier’s 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds left in regulation was matched on a Khris Middleton launch at the buzzer to force overtime in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs Sunday at TD Garden.

But Rozier had the last laugh as he hit five free throws in the last minute of overtime – with eight of his 23 points in the extra session overall – in a 113-107 victory.

After his 3-pointer with a half-second left in regulation nearly won the game, Rozier hit another one for a 104-103 lead with 3:43 left in overtime. Malcolm Brogdon drove to put the Bucks back up one when Al Horford put the Celtics back up at the line.

Jayson Tatum then grabbed and offensive rebound and drove for a 108-105 lead with 1:22 left in the extra session.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was able to tie up Tatum for a jump ball off a defensive miss and got to the line for one. Tatum then came down with another defensive rebound on the second missed free throw on a play where Eric Bledsoe fouled out of the game.

Tatum then blocked a corner 3-pointer, Horford grabbed the rebound, and Rozier went to the line for a 110-106 lead with 18.8 seconds to play.

Antetokounmpo got the line for a three-point game with 14.8 seconds on the clock. Rozier grabbed the rebound of the second miss with Antetokounmpo came flying in to rip the ball away with one official calling a jump, but another overruling that it was a loose-ball foul and Antetokounmpo’s sixth of the game. 

 

Rozier went back to the line and hit one of two. Then he rebounded the miss down the other, and went back to the line once more for the finishing touches on a six-point victory.

 

 

 

Down three with 15.2 seconds left in regulation, Brogdon hit a deep 3-pointer for a 96-96 game with 10.3 ticks remaining.

 

 

 

That’s when Rozier took the inbounds pass, surveyed the floor, and calmly stepped back and drilled what appeared to be the game-winning 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds on the clock.

 

 

 

The Celtics needed one more last half-second stop. But couldn’t get it as Middleton knocked down a bomb at the buzzer to force overtime.

 

 

 

Horford scored 24 points with 12 rebounds in 44 minutes, Marcus Morris had 21 points and seven rebounds, Jaylen Brown scored 20 points, Tatum had 19 and 10 rebounds for Boston.

 

 

 

Middleton scored 31 points, while Antetokounmpo had 29 points and 11 rebounds for the Bucks.