Bucks Look To Bounce Back At Home
By Dan Bruno
The Milwaukee Bucks play host to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Fiserv Forum on Thursday evening.
The series has been off to a wild start, as the Hawks stole Game 1, in Milwaukee, followed by two consecutive wins for the Bucks, before the Hawks bounced back again in Game 4, to even the series at two games apiece. Unfortunately for the Hawks, Trae Young injured his foot late in Game 3, and although he finished the game, he was sidelined for Game 4. However, what began as bad luck, turned into a great success, as the Hawks banded together for an inspired team effort to win the critical contest. Lou Williams stepped up in a big way to lead the Hawks with 21 points and eight assists in the Game 4, home win. Bogdan Bogdanovic also came up huge with 20 points, five assists, four steals and three rebounds, while Kevin Huerter and Clint Capela added 15 points each. Looking ahead to Game 5, Young remains a game-time decision.
On the other hand, the Bucks were dealt a major blow in Game 4, as Giannis Antetokounmpo went down with a knee injury mid way through the third quarter and was forced to miss the remainder of the game. Thankfully, the injury has been determined to be not major, however, it is expected to keep Giannis sidelined through Game 5, which leaves the Bucks with a major task ahead. They will need to rally together and get strong efforts across the board, because if they let Game 5 slip away, then they will be heading to Atlanta for Game 6, with the series on the line. Adversity tends to be the name of the game in the playoffs and it has come down to now, or never for the Bucks, as they find themselves in a very tough position. Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday have both had a couple of great games in this series, and a couple of not-so-great games, but they both need to show a sense of urgency in leading the way on Thursday.
The series has been off to a wild start, as the Hawks stole Game 1, in Milwaukee, followed by two consecutive wins for the Bucks, before the Hawks bounced back again in Game 4, to even the series at two games apiece. Unfortunately for the Hawks, Trae Young injured his foot late in Game 3, and although he finished the game, he was sidelined for Game 4. However, what began as bad luck, turned into a great success, as the Hawks banded together for an inspired team effort to win the critical contest. Lou Williams stepped up in a big way to lead the Hawks with 21 points and eight assists in the Game 4, home win. Bogdan Bogdanovic also came up huge with 20 points, five assists, four steals and three rebounds, while Kevin Huerter and Clint Capela added 15 points each. Looking ahead to Game 5, Young remains a game-time decision.
On the other hand, the Bucks were dealt a major blow in Game 4, as Giannis Antetokounmpo went down with a knee injury mid way through the third quarter and was forced to miss the remainder of the game. Thankfully, the injury has been determined to be not major, however, it is expected to keep Giannis sidelined through Game 5, which leaves the Bucks with a major task ahead. They will need to rally together and get strong efforts across the board, because if they let Game 5 slip away, then they will be heading to Atlanta for Game 6, with the series on the line. Adversity tends to be the name of the game in the playoffs and it has come down to now, or never for the Bucks, as they find themselves in a very tough position. Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday have both had a couple of great games in this series, and a couple of not-so-great games, but they both need to show a sense of urgency in leading the way on Thursday.