Milwaukee Bucks: 3 keys to victory in critical Game 2 with Atlanta Hawks
By Dalton Sell
The Milwaukee Bucks must prioritize slowing down Trae Young in Game 2 against the Atlanta Hawks
Keeping Trae Young’s contributions to a minimum was the ultimate key for the Bucks heading into this series, which they failed at mightily in Game 1.
Teague’s brief stretch guarding him was only scratching the surface as Young finished the game with a whopping 48 points and 11 assists. He was scorching hot offensively all evening, doing most of his damage in the lane off patented pick-and-roll floaters. He also kept the Bucks honest from behind the arc as he knocked in four triples, although he missed nine. Still, Young was the only thing keeping Atlanta in this game early on, and he ultimately proved to be the driving force in their series-opening victory.
It seems safe to say that the Bucks will immediately revolve the Game 2 focus on slowing down the All-Star guard. Three-time All-Defensive honoree Jrue Holiday will get the opening crack at him once again, and he must get assertive with Young from the jump. Holiday alluded to this in his postgame media availability by stating, “I think I could be more aggressive, I think I started being more agressive in the second half.” It is a good strategy from Holiday, and he must look to make his mark on Young defensively from the opening tip. However, when Holiday is not guarding Young, the Bucks will have to get creative when looking for the next man up.
No, that does not mean Teague.
Interestingly enough, two players that did a solid job during brief sequences against Young were Giannis and P.J. Tucker. Young combined to shoot just 2-of-10 from the floor (1-of-5 from deep) when defended by these two all-world defenders. While neither player is a traditional matchup for the guard defensively, the Bucks will have to find unorthodox solutions if Young catches fire once more. No matter who they throw at the 22-year-old, that player will have their hands full trying to slow him down, and this Milwaukee team is aware of that after Game 1.
Next. Milwaukee Bucks: 3 most important matchups versus the Atlanta Hawks. dark
It should be a thrilling Game 2 as the Bucks aim to even up the Eastern Conference Finals, and you can catch the action tonight at 7:30 p.m. CST on TNT.