Milwaukee Bucks: Grades from thrilling Game 3 win over Atlanta Hawks

D. After a pair of fantastic games to start the series, Jrue Holiday cooled off mightily in Game 3. Losing his touch offensively that saw him averages nearly 30 in Games 1 and 2, the guard scored just six points on 2-of-11 shooting, including 0-of-3 from distance. Numbers like that would typically warrant an F without question, but Holiday impacted the game elsewhere to help the Bucks come out on top, most notably with his playmaking and distributing. The guard dished out 12 assists last night, creating offense for others that he could not do for himself. He was also working persistently on the defensive end by grabbing two steals and blocking two shots. It was an ugly performance offensively from the guard, but he managed to salvage it overall by impacting the game elsewhere on the floor and helping the Bucks win.. PG. Milwaukee Bucks. JRUE HOLIDAY

This was one of the best performances of Khris Middleton’s NBA career. Struggling to find his shot early on, Milwaukee’s shooting guard found a groove with 18 points heading into the fourth quarter and took off from there. Over the next 12 minutes, Middleton would score 20 points by himself, which was three more than the Hawks had as a team in the period. Finishing with 38 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists, it was a historically great night for Khris as he helped rally the Bucks back after almost crossing the point of no return. His effort was a concern early on as he looked asleep on both ends, but he undeniably silenced those claims quickly as he came alive in the fourth quarter and propelled the Bucks to their second consecutive victory.. SG. Milwaukee Bucks. KHRIS MIDDLETON. A+

B+. It was another low-scoring night for P.J. Tucker, with his only bucket being a 3-pointer that was intended to be a lob pass to Giannis Antetokounmpo down low, but it miraculously went in instead. Aside from that, Tucker was doing his usual hustling all over the floor, most notably in the rebounding department. The forward hauled in eight boards on the night, two of which came on the offensive end. His effort on the glass was a massive boost for Milwaukee as they dominated the rebounds. Also dishing out two assists and grabbing a steal, it was another solid all-around performance from Tucker.. SF. Milwaukee Bucks. P.J. TUCKER

A. Middleton was rightfully Milwaukee’s hero in Game 3, but that did not stop Giannis Antetokounmpo from having another dominant showing himself. The Greek Freak finished with 33 points on 61.9 percent shooting from the floor, doing most of his damage close to the hoop. He also grabbed 11 rebounds, notching yet another 30-10 game in a postseason that has been full of them. He was also a force on the defensive end by tallying two steals and a blocked shot to cement another solid performance from Antetokounmpo. Yet, the biggest knock on his Game 3 outing that is stopping him from an A+ was his free throw shooting. Antetokounmpo struggled once more from the line by shooting just 6-of-13 from the stripe. He will have to clean that up, but the Bucks managed to win despite his subpar shooting.. PF. Milwaukee Bucks. GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO

B-. After a stellar performance in Game 2, Brook Lopez found his minutes cut down to just 25 in this matchup. The Bucks opted to run Antetokounmpo at center for a large portion of the fourth – which proved to be a good decision. When he was on the floor, Lopez scored 10 points on an efficient 4-of-6 shooting while also grabbing three rebounds. He made his hulking presence felt on the defensive end as well by notching a block and steal apiece. Still, his defense down low trying to prevent Trae Young from getting into the lane was far from his best effort, making this another game where he finished it out on the sidelines.. C. Milwaukee Bucks. BROOK LOPEZ