Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from riveting Game 3 win vs. Atlanta Hawks

Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo steal the show in Milwaukee Bucks’ Game 3 win over Atlanta Hawks

There are few words that would be fitting to describe the performances from Milwaukee’s top two in this game. Fantastic, phenomenal, or sensational might be a good starting point.

Starting with Khris Middleton, it was a brutal start for the forward early on as he could not get his offense going and racked up several turnovers. When things started looking grim, and the Hawks started pulling away in the fourth quarter, Middleton flipped the switch entirely and took over the ballgame by going scorched earth on the offensive end.

Scoring 20 points in the fourth period alone, Middleton ended out outscoring the Hawks entirely as they managed just 17 points during the final 12 minutes. The forward caught fire, and the Bucks rode the hot hand as the red-hot Middleton buried the Hawks. He finished the game with 38 points total, matching his previous postseason career-high with a herculean scoring performance for the ages. Not to mention that he also got his teammates involved in the action by handing out seven assists to cap off a fantastic night.

Meanwhile, while Middleton rightfully soaked up the spotlight, Giannis Antetokounmpo also had himself a great night. The Greek Freak scored 33 points, doing the bulk of his damage down low to help enforce the team’s aforementioned paint assault. Also tallying 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a single blocked shot, it was another terrific performance from Antetokounmpo. The free throw shooting still needs work as he shot just 6-of-13 from the stripe, but it has looked better at times. All of the heckling from opposing fans likely does not help.

Hats off to Middleton and Antetokounmpo for putting together a pair of memorable performances to bring the Bucks back from the grave and win Game 3 on the road.