THE Milwaukee Bucks reached the NBA’s Eastern Conference finals after defeating the Nets 115-111 in overtime Saturday night in a decisive Game 7 for their semifinal series.

“I’m really happy for what we got done. But the job is not done,” Giannis Antetokounmpo said.

“We’ve got to keep believing in ourselves. We’ve got to keep playing good basketball and take it game by game. The job is not done. We’re halfway through.”

They got there by edging the Nets in the first Game 7 to go overtime since 2006. Antetokounmpo had 40 points and 13 rebounds, and Khris Middleton made the tiebreaking shot with 40 seconds left in overtime.

The third-seeded Bucks advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the second time in three years.

They will play either top-seeded Philadelphia or No. 5 Atlanta in a series that starts Wednesday.

“We’re definitely proud of where we are. We put a lot of work in to get to this point,” center Brook Lopez said. “But, you know, our goal this season at the beginning of the season wasn’t just to make it to the Eastern Conference finals. Obviously we want to win a championship.”

The Bucks blew a 2-0 lead last time they got to the conference finals, losing four straight to the eventual NBA champion Toronto Raptors in 2019.

They overcame that deficit this time, turning the series around after dropping Game 2 by 39 points and pulling out a deciding game that turned into a thriller.

“It’s just been a heck of a series,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “You put so much emotion and so much energy and time in it. For this group to be rewarded with a huge win in a Game 7 in overtime, it’s just a great group.”(SD-Agencies)