Photo via Twitter / Bucks
Throughout the postseason, it has felt as though certain non-elimination games held more weight than others for the Milwaukee Bucks. That was certainly the case in Atlanta on Sunday night, as Milwaukee went into State Farm Arena for their first away game of the Eastern Conference finals with the series tied at 1-1. Game three felt pivotal, especially given the struggles that the Bucks endured on the road in the conference semifinal series with the Brooklyn Nets. While the Hawks snuck away with the first game of the series in Milwaukee, the Bucks were looking to return the favor in Atlanta.
Shades of the Brooklyn series were evident in the early going, as Atlanta moved out to a 15-2 lead to start the game. It looked like another long night for the Bucks, with guard Trae Young leading the scoring. Young was unstoppable for much of the night, hitting his trademark floating jump shots and at one point, a three-pointer with his heel on the Hawk’s mid-court logo. The confidence was high, but Milwaukee battled back to just a five-point deficit at the end of the first quarter, and then a tie game by the half. Offense from Milwaukee’s big three of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday were the focal point, with timely infusions of energy from Bobby Portis off the bench.
Things came to a screeching halt for Atlanta late in the third quarter, as Trae Young rolled his ankle while stepping on a sideline official’s foot after taking a jump shot. The injury looked similar to Kyrie Irving’s pivotal rolled ankle in the Nets series, and once again gave Milwaukee an opening. Young went to the locker room for evaluation but would ultimately return to close out the game, appearing visibly bothered. In the time that Young was out of action, Milwaukee took their first lead of the game with 1:47 left to play in the quarter. The Hawks would take a two-point advantage into the final period of play.
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The fourth quarter was a very different story for the Bucks’ offense, namely Khris Middleton, who came alive when it mattered most. Middleton finished the night with a playoff-high of 38 points, 20 of which came in the last twelve minutes. While Milwaukee had been rather cold from behind the three-point line for much of the game, Middleton put three straight long-range shots down, pushing the Bucks into a lead late. Milwaukee would pull away in the last five minutes of action, winning by a 113-102 final score.
Milwaukee now looks to take both games in Atlanta, as game four will tip off from State Farm Arena on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m., airing nationally on TNT. Milwaukee is just two wins away from their first NBA Finals appearance in 47 years, and could potentially reach that milestone at home if they win the next two consecutive games. Fans have been coming out in big numbers at Fiserv Forum downtown, and you can get all the information about playoff watch parties at the Deer District website.
