NBA Playoff DifferenceMakers: June 27, 2021

What key moments or stats contributed to the Milwaukee Bucks’ series-shifting Game 3 win over the Atlanta Hawks?

Milwaukee Bucks 113, Atlanta Hawks 102

Bucks lead series 2-1

FINAL BOX SCORE

As expected, the energy in Atlanta was intense. The Hawks rode the wave early and jumped out to a 25-10 lead midway through the first quarter. The Hawks got whatever they wanted during this span. Some defensive miscues led to a few big Trae Young 3-pointers. This includes the wide open trey that gave ATL their largest lead.

There were also a couple of cases of Brook Lopez dropping too far back on pick-and-rolls again. This led to a couple of Young’s patented floaters. The Hawks were even able to get out in transition, twice off turnovers and two more times getting early offense off defensive rebounds.

However, the Bucks proceeded to push back and probe at the lead until they took it for good with 5:13 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Khris Middleton returned to his All-Star form in this game. His 38 points on the evening matches the playoff career-high he set in Game 6 of the conference semifinals. This is quite the bounce back after averaging 17.7 points per game while shooting 33.9 percent from the field over the last three games, dating back to Game 7 of the semis. He also chipped in 11 rebounds and seven assists.

Middleton played well throughout the game, but it was his big fourth quarter performance that ultimately gave Milwaukee the advantage. Khris scored 20 points in the final frame on 8-of-13 shooting. This includes going 4-of-6 from 3-point range. His fourth quarter point total outpaced his total over the first three periods! Middleton was absolutely automatic. His outburst was almost solely responsible for the Bucks’ comeback as he poured in two-thirds of Milwaukee’s 30 points in the quarter.

Up until that point, Giannis Antetokounmpo held down the fort for Milwaukee. He finished the evening with 33 points and 11 rebounds. 23 of those points came in the second and third quarters, while the remaining 10 were split across the bookending quarters. Giannis was once again a force in the paint and on the fastbreak. Antetokounmpo playing more to his strengths has greatly helped his production and his team’s fortunes in these playoffs.

While Middleton had a big game, it was Jrue Holiday’s turn to have an off scoring night. His six points on 2-of-11 shooting was the first time since Game 3 of the semifinals that he ended a game with single-digit scoring. However, he stayed heavily involved in the offense thanks to 12 assists.

Trae Young finished this game with 35 points for Atlanta. However, he only scored three points in the fourth quarter. To make matters worse, Young also rolled his ankle on a referee’s foot halfway through the final period. Hopefully this injury won’t have any lasting effect on Trae as the series continues.

While Danilo Gallinari dropped 18 points from off the bench, Young could only find limited assistance from the other Hawks starters. John Collins only took eight shot attempts (for 13 points) while Kevin Huerter (11 points, 4-of-11 FG) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (eight points, 3-of-16 FG) failed to score efficiently. The Milwaukee defense applied plenty of pressure on these young Hawks, but they also failed to find much of a rhythm on their open opportunities as well.

After going down 0-1, the Milwaukee Bucks have turned the tables and taken the lead in this series. The better side on paper is finally applying their abilities on the court. Atlanta has another game in front of their raucous crowd on Tuesday. We’ll see if their energy will help to generate some consistent offensive production for their underdog team.