Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from ugly Game 1 loss to Atlanta Hawks
By Dalton Sell
The Milwaukee Bucks get 2/3 of their Big 3 in Game 1 loss against Hawks
The Bucks’ leading trio has guided their success through the playoffs, but they lacked contributions from a key member to complete the trinity last night.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was no slouch as he tallied a team-high 34 points on 14-of-25 shooting from the field. Something also worth mentioning is the Greek Freak’s free throw shooting as he looked calm and collective all night by shooting 6-of-8 from the stripe. In addition to his scoring, he totaled 12 rebounds, nine assists, two blocks, and two steals to stuff the stat sheet to the brim in this Game 1 matchup. Antetokounmpo saw hefty playing time at center as Milwaukee tried to combat Atlanta’s assault and he must be prepared to play more minutes there if called upon moving forward.
Alongside Antetokounmpo was Jrue Holiday, who left everything out on the floor in his best game yet in these playoffs. The guard scored 33 points on the same 14-of-25 shooting tally as Giannis, except Holiday let it fly from deep, where he was 5-for-12 overall. Also notching 10 assists, four rebounds, two steals, and one blocked shot, the guard was great for the most part with his statistical contributions. He will primarily receive blame for Young’s heroic efforts, but all of that should not fall onto his shoulders.
Lastly, the Buck that failed to step up to the plate was Khris Middleton. The forward looked lost for most of the night by scoring just 15 points on a lackluster 6-for-23 field goal shooting. He also shot 0-for-9 from the perimeter, one of which was a game-tying attempt at the final horn that would have sent the game into overtime. It was yet another horrific shooting night for Middleton, who continues cycling through these good and bad games far too often. All fans can hope for is that he can flitch the switch in Game 2 and avoid yet another disappearing act in the playoffs.
Next. Milwaukee Bucks: 3 most important matchups versus the Atlanta Hawks. dark
Game 1 was beyond disappointing, but it should motivate the Bucks to come out with urgency in Friday night’s Game 2. Be sure to catch that action on TNT at 7:30 p.m. CST.