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The Milwaukee Bucks blasted the Atlanta Hawks 123-112 in Game 5 of their best-of-seven series at Fiserv Forum on Thursday.
The Bucks are now one win away from the NBA Finals as they lead the Hawks 3-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals heading into Saturday’s Game 6 at Atlanta.
Despite missing two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks quickly put their stamp on this game from the first quarter onwards. When the final buzzer sounded, four Bucks players scored 20 or more points, led by veteran center Brook Lopez, who had 33.
The Bucks used their size advantage to good use and edged the Atlanta Hawks 66 to 36 in the paint as they dominated their opponent in the lane. The Hawks were led by Bogdan Bogdanovic, who had 28 points in what was his best performance of the series.
Here are our five hits and flops from the Atlanta Hawks vs Milwaukee Bucks game:
Hit: Brook Lopez (Milwaukee Bucks)
Brook Lopez turned the clock back to his younger, more athletic days as he slammed and dunked all the way to a game-high 33 points on a sizzling 14-of-18 shooting.
The big man was so active that his teammates, particularly Jrue Holiday, found him often drifting to the lane for multiple alley-oop dunks against the smallish Atlanta Hawks players. The Milwaukee Bucks are within reach of the NBA Finals because of Lopez’s work inside the paint, where he scored 26 of his points and rarely took 3-pointers.
The Milwaukee Bucks center turned up the dial on the defensive end, too. Lopez owned the paint with four blocks and even found the energy to steal the ball twice.
Flop: Kevin Huerter (Atlanta Hawks)
The Atlanta Hawks needed more on the road from Kevin Huerter, but his shots were mostly flat during this crucial game. Huerter made a measly 3-of-12 field goals and only 2-of-7 from 3-point range.
He missed wide-open shots and only scored three points in the first half. The lack of perimeter scoring put the Atlanta Hawks in an early hole that they never truly recovered from.
It was a forgettable performance from Huerter, who is yet to make an impact in this series after several breakout performances during the previous rounds.
Hit: Bobby Portis (Milwaukee Bucks)
Where would the Milwaukee Bucks be against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 5 without Bobby Portis?
If there was one player who needed to step up in Antetokounmpo’s absence, it was Portis who made his first career playoff start. He didn’t disappoint the Milwaukee Bucks faithful, who cheered his name throughout the game.
The former Chicago Bulls player notched 22 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals. He provided the energy and hustle that was sorely lacking from the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 4.
Portis was all over the court, both offensively and defensively, to give his team the lift it needed without its superstar.
Flop: John Collins (Atlanta Hawks)
In a game without the Greek Freak, the Hawks' John Collins was supposed to benefit the most. Instead of coming out with energy from the start, Collins was uninspired and lacked the spark that the Atlanta Hawks needed from their big man.
Collins’ numbers don’t look bad on paper; he managed 19 points and eight rebounds. But he shot just 7-of-16 from the field. In a game where he was supposed to have the paint all to himself, he was outplayed by an aging veteran center who showed more hope than the Atlanta Hawks youngster.
Hits: Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks)
It’s hard to give just three “hits” to the winning team because the Milwaukee Bucks were incredibly impressive. Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton in particular made up for their poor showing in Game 4 in a big way.
Holiday brought a lot of fire from the first quarter onwards as he slashed, scored and dished his way to 25 points, 13 assists and six rebounds in Game 5. The former All-Star was finding seams in the Atlanta Hawks defense and they couldn’t keep him in front of them all night.
Another Milwaukee Bucks All-Star, Khris Middleton, quietly went about his business but his game was loud. Middleton had a sensational all-round game against the Atlanta Hawks, putting up 26 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, two steals and a block.
There was no mistaking the fact that he was the glue that held this team together. Middleton made it his goal to do anything and everything that the Bucks needed from him.
Also Read: 5 things that went wrong for LA Clippers in the 2021 NBA Playoffs
