Australian duo Thon Maker and Matthew Dellavedova remain alive in the NBA playoffs after the Milwaukee Bucks defeated Aron Baynes' Boston Celtics to send their first-round series to a game seven decider.
Bucks' coach Joe Prunty elevated Maker to the starting line-up and the 216cm tall 21-year-old helped deliver the energy his team needed in Milwaukee on Thursday with a 97-86 win.
"Clearly their speed, length and athleticism impacted us," Celtics' coach Brad Stevens told reporters.
If the Bucks lost they would have been eliminated.
Instead, they tied the series 3-3 to set up what should be a drama-charged winner-takes-the-series game seven on Saturday (Sunday 10am AEST) at Boston's intimidating TD Garden arena.