Live chat, game coverage: Milwaukee Bucks take on the Atlanta Hawks in Game 2 of Eastern Conference Finals
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This is what it’s like to be in the Deer District at tipoff when the Buck play the Hawks
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It helps to have a short memory in the NBA playoffs.
With a day off to think about their loss in Game 1 to the Atlanta Hawks, the Milwaukee Bucks bounced back in dominant fashion to take a 125-91 victory in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Friday night at Fiserv Forum.
Shots were falling, the Bucks’ defense was locked-in from the start and the home crowd of 16,422 fans was free of any tension after a 20-0 run in the second quarter.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo (25 points) and Jrue Holiday (22) combined to shoot 20 for 32. Khris Middleton had 15 points like he did in Game 1 but he looked more confident in his shot. None of the Bucks’ “Big Three” had to play in the fourth quarter because the result was never in doubt after halftime.
Antetokounmpo was on the attack early. He had six points on three layups as the Bucks raced to a 9-3 lead.
BOX SCORE: Bucks 125, Hawks 91
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Then Antetokounmpo drove and kicked to a wide-open Middleton, who drained a three-pointer. It was a welcome sight for Milwaukee after Middleton missed all nine of his long-range attempts in Game 1.
The Hawks briefly bounced back. Trae Young hit a midrange jumper, stole a bad pass from the Bucks’ Pat Connaughton and then drained a long shot over Connaughton to cut Milwaukee’s lead to 15-12.
Unlike the first game when both teams opened the game frigid from three-point range, the deep shots were falling, especially for the Bucks.
Milwaukee shot 7 for 12 on threes and held a 34-28 lead after the first quarter.
With Young on the bench to start the second quarter, the Bucks opened up the advantage to 47-35 after Bryn Forbes hit a floater in the paint and Bobby Portis stole the inbound pass before dropping in a layup.
The Hawks had trouble taking care of the basketball in the first half. After Young threw an ill-advised, cross-court pass, Middleton picked it off and converted a reverse layup for a 57-40 lead. It was Atlanta’s ninth turnover and Hawks interim head coach Nate McMillan called a timeout with 4:45 remaining in the first half to stop the bleeding.
After the timeout, the Hawks immediately turned the ball over on back-to-back possessions, leading to a three-pointer by Brook Lopez in the corner and a breakaway layup for Holiday.
A short jumper by Lopez, two free throws from Antetokounmpo and five straight points from Holiday made it a 20-0 run for the Bucks and broke the game open.
The Hawks’ John Collins finally ended the spurt with a short jumper that made it 71-42 with 1:44 left in the half. Atlanta went just under five minutes without a basket.
The Bucks took a 77-45 lead into the locker room. They shot a scorching 18 for 23 (78.3%) in the second quarter.
The Hawks had 13 turnovers in the first half, leading to 22 points by the Bucks.
Young, after his 48-point, 11-assist masterpiece in Game 1, was limited to 13 points on 5-for-12 shooting in the first half. He was only Atlanta player with double-figures in scoring in the opening 24 minutes.
Holiday has found his scoring touch after some struggles in the second round against the Nets. He had 33 points in Game 1 and then went off for 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting in the first half of Game 2. Antetokounmpo added 17 and Lopez 13 while making all five of his shots.
The Bucks’ momentum carried over into the start of the second half with the lead reaching 87-49 after a layup by Antetokounmpo.
Young matched his career high of nine turnovers by the midway point of the third quarter.
The Bucks reached 100 points when the Hawks’ Danilo Gallinari was called for an offensive foul and then a technical for dismissively waving at a referee. Middleton sank the free throw to make it 100-61.
The Bucks entered the fourth quarter with a 103-63 lead and the only question was how much longer any starters would play.
That was answered quickly when Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer opened the final period with a lineup of Forbes, Portis, rookie Jordan Nwora, veteran Jeff Teague and Thanasis Antetokounmpo.
Young finished with just 15 points to lead the Hawks, making just 1 of 8 on three-pointers.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks 125, Hawks 91: Easy victory in Game 2 evens Eastern Conference Finals at 1-1