Grant Williams exploded for a career-high 27 points and led a defensive charge on Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo as the host Boston Celtics advanced to the NBA’s final four with a 109-81 romp over the defending-champion Bucks in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Sunday afternoon.

Jayson Tatum chipped in with 23 points and Jaylen Brown 19 for the second-seeded Celtics, who will advance to face the top-seeded Miami Heat in the Eastern Finals. Game 1 is scheduled for Tuesday in Miami.

The Celtics will be making their fourth trip to the Eastern Finals in the last six seasons. They have not advanced to an NBA Finals since 2010, having lost four consecutive times when one step away, twice to the Heat and twice to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

After losing twice at home earlier in the series and falling behind 10-3 in the best-of-seven finale, the Celtics dominated the final 44 minutes, especially from long range.

Williams, a third-year pro who had never scored more than 21 points in his NBA career and never made more than six 3-pointers, stunned the Bucks with 7-for-18 accuracy from beyond the arc, accounting for all but six of his points.

“I told him to ‘Let it fly. They’re disrespecting you more tonight than earlier in the series,'” Celtics coach Ime Udoka said of his message to Williams. “That was the plan for him and other guys.”

Tatum added five 3-pointers and Payton Pritchard four as the Celtics shot 22-for-55 on 3-point tries, outscoring the Bucks by a whopping 66-12 from beyond the arc.

With Jrue Holiday and Pat Connaughton combining for 0-for-11, Milwaukee went just 4-for-33 from deep.

After a last-second foul on Antetokounmpo on a Marcus Smart 3-point heave from beyond half court had helped the Celtics build a 48-43 halftime lead, the hosts gradually pulled away throughout the second half.

Williams, Tatum and Brown all hit 3-pointers in an early burst in the third period that opened a 59-47 lead, and Milwaukee was never closer than 10 after that.

“They were the better team in a seven-game series,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said of Boston.

Pritchard finished with 14 points and Smart 11 for the Celtics, who stayed alive with a 108-95 win at Milwaukee in Game 6 on Friday.

Smart completed a double-double with a game-high 10 assists, while Al Horford was the Celtics’ top rebounder with 10 to go with six points and six assists.

Antetokounmpo, who had averaged 35.3 points on 46.8-percent shooting in the first six games of the series, was harassed into 10-for-26 shooting and limited to a team-high 25 points.

“I felt like we started grinding him down,” Udoka said of the two-time league MVP. “He missed some of the easier shots around the basket. That’s what we talked about. It’s not just one guy (guarding him). We stuck with that.”

He also found time for a game-high 20 rebounds and team-high nine assists.

Holiday finished with 21 points and Bobby Portis 10 for the Bucks, while Brook Lopez logged a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

The Bucks played the series without three-time All-Star Khris Middleton, who sprained the MCL in his left knee during Game 2 of the first-round series against the Chicago Bulls.

“Every team goes through something. Nobody feels sorry for us,” Budenholzer said. “It’s the age-old equation: You’ve got to have good players; you’ve got to be a little lucky; and you’ve got to be healthy. You need all of these things to be successful in the playoffs. I’ve heard it a million times. We weren’t as healthy as we could have been, but nobody cares.”

–Field Level Media

Minnesota Timberwolves star center Karl-Anthony Towns underwent stem call treatment and received platelet-rich plasma injections on Friday to treat a slew of injuries, ESPN reported Sunday.

Towns had both knees, his left ankle, left wrist and the middle finger on his right hand treated, according to the report.

Towns reportedly opted for this approach to avoid any offseason surgeries. His right knee has been especially bothersome and he had surgery on the left wrist in February of 2020.

The 26-year-old Towns was dealing with the injuries as the Timberwolves reached the Western Conference playoffs. Minnesota lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in six games in the first-round series.

Towns’ girlfriend, Jordyn Woods, posted a picture on Instagram Sunday where Towns is on the couch with a wrap on his right leg. She included the caption “Nurse Woods on duty.”

Towns is expected to be ready for training camp.

Towns was an All-Star for the third time this season as he averaged 24.6 points and 9.8 rebounds in 74 games. He has career averages of 23.2 points and 11.3 rebounds in 482 games (all starts) over seven NBA seasons.

Towns averaged 21.8 points and 10.8 rebounds in the series against the Grizzlies. It was his second career playoff appearance.

–Field Level Media

Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III is available to come off the bench in Game 7 against the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday afternoon, coach Ime Udoka announced.

Williams, 24, missed the past three games of the Eastern Conference semifinal series due to left knee soreness.

He averaged 8.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks through the first three games against the Bucks.

Williams sustained a torn meniscus in his left knee on March 27 and underwent minor surgery. He returned to action for Game 3 of Boston’s first-round series sweep against the Brooklyn Nets.

Williams averaged 10.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 61 games (all starts) during the regular season, his fourth campaign with Boston since being drafted in the first round in 2018.

–Field Level Media