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The Atlanta Hawks took a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven series against the Milwaukee Bucks with a 116-113 win in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
Trae Young took apart the Milwaukee Bucks, recording 48 points and 11 assists as he led his Atlanta Hawks side to another road victory in the postseason. The 22-year-old was on fire from the start and stayed hot all the way 'til the final buzzer. John Collins was also excellent for the Hawks and finished the game with 23 points and 15 rebounds.
For the Milwaukee Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo had a big game with 34 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. Jrue Holiday was close behind in the Bucks scoring charts with 33 points and recording 10 assists.
The Bucks, however, couldn't contain the duo of Young and Collins, who toyed with their defense, especially in the third quarter.
Trae Young had the hot hand in the first half for the Atlanta Hawks
Almost everything that Young put up in the first half went in. There was no stopping the Atlanta Hawks guard, who was able to get in the lane and knock in his floaters while mixing it up with a couple of 3-pointers. Young also kept the Milwaukee Bucks guessing on defense as he was able to find his teammates for open shots.
But the Milwaukee Bucks were getting their way in the paint, using their superior size and strength to the hilt. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and P.J. Tucker kept crashing the boards and getting buckets up close.
Young was balling in the first half with 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the field after being freed from Ben Simmons' shackles. The Atlanta Hawks star showed off his entire arsenal of floaters, jumpers and threes.
But it was the Bucks who led 59-54 at the half, with Holiday and Antetokounmpo putting up 16 and 14 points, respectively.
Atlanta Hawks entertain fans; Milwaukee Bucks storm back
The Atlanta Hawks are the most entertaining squad in the 2021 NBA Playoffs and it showed in their third quarter play. Young and Collins were like kids in the playground as the former lobbed passes to the latter, who showed off his athleticism.
The Milwaukee Bucks fell behind by eight points, courtesy of an onslaught from the Hawks duo.
On one possession, Young did the shimmy just before taking and making a three, and fans on Twitter went absolutely ballistic. Even the LA Lakers' LeBron James was impressed and tweeted his reaction.
The Milwaukee Bucks caught up in the fourth quarter after Antetokounmpo returned to the ball game. The Greek Freak took charge of his team with a little more than five minutes to go. From alley-oop dunks to short jumpers and layups, he helped the Bucks gain a seven-point lead as the scoreboard read 105-98 in their favor.
But the Atlanta Hawks retook the lead and made it 111-110 on a follow-up dunk by Clint Capela with 29.8 seconds to go. Young followed it up with two free throws with 17.3 seconds remaining.
The game ended with the Milwaukee Bucks unable to make a three on their final possession.
Game 2 between the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks will be played once more at Fiserv Forum on Friday, as Antetokounmpo and co. try to avoid going down 0-2 on their home floor.
Also Read: 5 Big Takeaways from the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery results
