Bucks dominate Hawks in Game 2 with complete effort to even Eastern Conference finals at 1-1

MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo spun his way to the rim for Julius Erving-esque one-handed layups. Jrue Holiday continued his offensive output, and Brook Lopez had his inside-outside game rolling.

The Milwaukee Bucks were not just a scoring machine. They tightened the defense and forced the Atlanta Hawks into a miserable offensive performance.

It was a complete game.

Milwaukee throttled Atlanta 125-91 on Friday in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals, tying the series at 1-1. Game 3 is Sunday in Atlanta (8:30 p.m., TNT).

The Bucks put the Hawks away in the second quarter, outscoring them 43-17, including a 20-0 run from 5:44 to 2:07 of the quarter that extended an 11-point lead to 71-40. The Bucks led by as many as 41 in the fourth quarter, but the damage was done in the second.

Antetokounmpo had 25 points, nine rebounds and six assists and sat for the final 16:28. The most feared Antetokounmpo is the one who charges the basket, and he did that from the start. Twenty-two of his points were in the paint on 11-for-13 shooting.

Holiday scored 22 points and delivered seven assists, Lopez had 16 points, three steals and one block, and Khris Middleton ended up with 15 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.

Milwaukee shot 52.1% from the field and 36.6% on 3-pointers, making 15 from behind the line. It had 24 second-chance points on 16 offensive rebounds and turned 20 Hawks turnovers into 27 fastbreak points.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 25 points for the Bucks.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 25 points for the Bucks.

Atlanta just never found anything offensively and was sloppy with the basketball. Trae Young had 15 points on 6-for-16 shooting, including 1-for-8 on 3s, and nine turnovers.

Whether the Bucks discovered a defensive scheme that can limit Young remains to be seen. But from the fourth quarter of Game 1 through Game 2, they have some answers. They kept him out of the lane much better in Game 2 — only four points in the paint — and he wasn’t able to find Clint Capela and John Collins for easy alley-oops like he did in first game. The Hawks were outscored 62-30 in the paint.

Young has also shot just 5-for-21 on 3-pointers against the Bucks.

The Hawks were 41.5% from the field and 25% on 3s — and just 25% for the series. Danilo Gallinari had 12 points and Collins added 11 points and eight rebounds.

Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bucks dominate Hawks in Game 2 to even Eastern Conference finals

Leave a Comment