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The Milwaukee Bucks rallied to beat the Atlanta Hawks 113-102 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. The two teams were neck-and-neck in the fourth quarter before Khris Middleton heated up during a two-minute stretch to give the Bucks a 2-1 lead in the series.
Sunday’s win returned the home-court advantage to the Milwaukee Bucks, who lost Game 1 to the Atlanta Hawks on their turf. The two teams were deadlocked at the half, and the Hawks had a two-point lead to start the fourth quarter until Middleton started to drain one 3-pointer after the other.
Middleton’s 38-point explosion helped the Bucks overcome Trae Young’s stellar performance of 35 points on 6-of-14 shooting for the Atlanta Hawks.
The Atlanta Hawks were blowing out the Milwaukee Bucks out of the gate
After an embarrassing 34-point blowout loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, the Atlanta Hawks were on a mission in the first quarter to get revenge. They led by eight points, 15-2, at the 8:02 mark and extended that lead to 15 with 5:14 remaining after Trae Young’s 3-pointer.
But the Bucks fought their way back into the contest and were within five points, 32-27, of the Hawks after a jumper by Middleton with 2.1 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Young had the hot hand from the start, exhibiting his arsenal of floaters and threes to notch up 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field at the end of the quarter. The entire Atlanta Hawks team shot the lights out from beyond the arc (6 of 13, 46.2%).
In the second quarter, the Milwaukee Bucks were down by seven points, 40-33, with the Atlanta Hawks shooting 8 of 15 on 3-point shots. But with Giannis Antetokounmpo overpowering every defender guarding him, the Bucks tied the game at 56-all. He scored 16 points, 11 in the second quarter, with Middleton dropping 15.
The Milwaukee Bucks scored 34 points in the paint at the halfway mark, thanks to the Greek Freak’s exploits. Meanwhile, Young led the Atlanta Hawks with 17 points, but no other player scored in double-digits.
Khris Middleton took charge in the fourth quarter, outscored entire Atlanta Hawks team
It looked as though the Atlanta Hawks were going to pull away from the Milwaukee Bucks at the start of the third quarter when the home team went on a 9-2 run after a layup by Danilo Gallinari with 8:32 left to play.
Middleton then cut the Hawks' lead to four points, 70-66, on a 3-pointer with 7:45 remaining in the quarter.
Young stayed hot, scoring 15 of his 35 points in the third while scoring from everywhere on the court, including at the line, where he was 5 of 6. Antetokounmpo kept the game close with a number of shots in the paint and a 3-pointer with 3:08 to go in the quarter.
But the game may have turned when Young tweaked his ankle after stepping on a referee's foot, with less than a minute remaining in the period. Young struggled to be his dominating self after that.
The Milwaukee Bucks were down by just two points, 85-83, heading into the fourth, where Middleton exploded.
The two-time All-Star drained a 3-pointer with 7:12 remaining before making another 3-pointer, a jumper, and then another three to give the Bucks a 101-98 lead with 5:13 left to play. He then scored 20 points in the fourth quarter in a dazzling shooting display that left the Atlanta Hawks stunned.
The Hawks could only put up 17 points as a team, with the Bucks shutting down their opponents defensively.
Middleton and Antetokounmpo, who had 33 points and 11 rebounds, took turns in putting the Atlanta Hawks away as they extended their team's lead to double-digits by the end of the fourth quarter.
Final Score: Milwaukee Bucks 113-102 Atlanta Hawks.
Milwaukee Bucks' Top Performers
Khris Middleton 38p, 11r, 7a, 15-of-26 FG, 6-of-12 3PT
Giannis Antetokounmpo 33p, 11r, 4a, 2s, 1b, 13-of-21 FG
Bobby Portis 15p, 4r, 7-of-12 FG.
Atlanta Hawks’ Top Performers
Trae Young 35p, 4a, 6-of-14 3PT
Danilo Gallinaro 18p, 4r
John Collins 13p, 8r, 6-of-8 FG.
Also Read: "What I saw today was unbelievable. For me, it was greatness" - Giannis Antetokounmpo praises Khris Middleton after Milwaukee Bucks won Game 3 against Atlanta Hawks | 2021 NBA Playoffs
