The Milwaukee Bucks will welcome the Atlanta Hawks into Fiserv Forum for a pivotal Game 5 in the Eastern Conference Finals tonight.
However, they will be put to the test as they will likely be without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who brought an entire city to a pause after his scary fall in Game 4. After what seemed like an eternity, results from Antetokounmpo’s MRI thankful revealed no structural damage in his knee and that he had hyperextended it. Although no timetable for a return was given, this was the best news possible considering just how grueling that injury looked live on television.
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Without their heart and soul out on the floor, the Bucks must band together and attempt to reclaim the lead in this series once more. Atlanta is dealing an injury to their star player as well, as Trae Young was sidelined in Game 4 with an ankle injury, which ultimately did not matter as the Hawks steamrolled the Bucks regardless.
With that dreadful game in the rearview and the Bucks back on their home floor, here are three keys to victory in this crucial Game 5 with the Hawks tonight.
The Milwaukee Bucks must come out with more urgency in Game 5 versus the Atlanta Hawks
To say that the Bucks have come out flat in each of the past two contests would be a massive understatement, to put it lightly.
They have seemingly lacked any motivation coming out of the gates, playing with the intensity that one might anticipate during a regular season meeting in November. Carless turnovers, ugly shot selection, and lapses in judgment defensively have plagued this team significantly in the early going in consecutive contests, allowing the Hawks to conjure early momentum and rifle off early leads to get the Bucks scrambling.
It seems reasonable to ask that this team play like they are in the Eastern Conference Finals and are two victories away from going to the NBA Finals for the first time in around five decades. The Bucks need to come out and set the tone early by sending a message to the Hawks. Get the offense clicking with smart shots, force some turnovers, play some tenacious defense, and just show effort to get the wheels turning early.
The Bucks looked absolutely deflated after Antetokounmpo went down in Game 4 – and who could really blame them – but they were not much better before that point either. Hopefully, this team can come firing out of the gates with everyone being able to exhale with the positive news surrounding his injury. He will almost certainly be in attendance on the sidelines looking to provide that cheerful presence he is known for, and this team must feed off that.