After losing both games in Indiana, the Bucks knew they needed to revamp their strategy to keep the series alive. Another loss would have basically ended their season, as no team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit. In a desperate attempt, Doc Rivers decided to push Gary Trent Jr. into the starting lineup for Game 3 as Taurean Prince’s replacement. And the risk paid off.

Turns out, Trent was the spark the Bucks had been looking for. Putting on a show in Milwaukee, the veteran guard dropped 37 points, matching Giannis Antetokounmpo’s score. As expected, most of his points came from deep as Gary shot lights out, making nine of his twelve three-point attempts. Thus, tying Ray Allen’s franchise record for most threes in a playoff game. Also, Gary’s 37 points are the most he has scored in his playoff career.

Thanks to his historic performance, the Bucks blew out the Pacers, bringing the series to 2-1. Everyone, including Giannis, was left in awe of Trent’s scoring outburst, as The Greek Freak said postgame, “Incredible game by Gary. Not just offensively, defensively. He was out there, set the tone, was guarding everybody. Really good in switch defense, really good in just one-on-one defense just making as tough as possible.” Apart from leading his team in points, Trent also got four crucial steals, showcasing his elite defense.

What’s commendable is that he did it while not being a 100%, as Giannis remarked, “I think he got hurt in the first quarter or something, hurt his leg or something because he was wearing a sleeve. But that did not stop him from competing and that says a lot.”

And Giannis just loves that kind of energy from his teammates, “You always wanna have players that they gonna go out there and compete… he was hot. I’ve been with the Bucks for a long time, I’ve never seen a guy make nine threes, I think, in a playoff game. Very very happy for him.” Although the Bucks got one back last night with an assist from Trent, Giannis knows that the job is far from over.

So, he had just one message for his locker room, “Be humble in victory. Be humble in victory. Be humble in victory. We have a lot of games ahead of us. So, he definitely helped the team get this one tonight, but we have another one in two days.”

Yes, the Bucks still need to win three more games to advance to the next round. So, they cannot afford to dwell on this one good performance. He continued, “We just got to stay humble, get all the good things that worked from tonight’s game. Defensively especially and offensively the way our spacing was and the way we were moving the ball and come back on Sunday and hopefully we can do the same thing.” While Giannis made his feelings clear, Damian Lillard had nothing but praise for Trent after his big night.

Damian Lillard not surprised by Gary Trent Jr.’s performance as sharpshooter reacts to tying Ray Allen’s record

Well, no one on the Bucks team knows Trent better than Dame. That’s because they were teammates in Portland for several years and Gary was Lillard’s rookie. So, the nine-time All-Star is already aware of Trent’s potential, “One thing that I told the team when they were trying to get Gary here and when I was trying to make that connection and bring him here, I told them that this is one of the most confident players that I’ve played with and an unshakeable guy.”

He continued, “When he has a performance like he has tonight, I know how much he really believes in himself. This type of game doesn’t surprise me and it came at a time when we needed it.” Of course, a performance like last night was the reason the Bucks acquired Trent last summer. He adds more versatility to their offense, particularly in the shooting department. After losing Malik Beasley to Detroit Pistons in free agency, Trent has been a major contributor in this season.

While the superstars admired Gary’s performance, the shooting guard was just happy to be mentioned in the same breath as a legend like Ray Allen, “It’s almost like a fulfilling feeling, because I’ve put a lot of work, a lot of time, a lot of hours. I’ve sacrificed a lot of things going into this. The cream always rises to the top.” Now, Bucks fans would be hoping that this performance sparks a turnaround for their team and pushes them to even the series this Sunday. Do you think they can pull off the comeback?