MILWAUKEE—- The Milwaukee Bucks understood the key to connecting the Eastern Conference finals was making sure Trae Young didnt take over again.They did all that and more Friday night.Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 25 points, Jrue Holiday added 22 and the Bucks blew out the Atlanta Hawks 125-91 in Game 2. Young struggled for much of the night after ending up with 48 points and 11 helps in the Hawks 116-113 Game 1 success.” Last video game he was living in the paint, had a lot of floaters (and) those are practically layups for him,” Holiday stated. “We didnt truly desire that to get him begun early. And I dont believe he went to the complimentary throw line much tonight, which is likewise quite big for us.” Young scored 15 points but matched a career worst with nine turnovers prior to leaving the game for great with 3:48 staying in the 3rd quarter. He shot 6 of 16 overall, 1 of 8 on 3-point attempts and 2 of 3 on complimentary tosses.” I take complete responsibility for what took place tonight,” Young stated. “Taking care of the ball is something Ive got to be much better at. I will be better at it. Its really they simply upped their physicality tonight. Weve got to do the same.” The Bucks never ever tracked, scored 20 straight points late in the second quarter and led by a minimum of 30 throughout the 2nd half. Both teams rested their starters for the whole fourth quarter.This marks the 3rd straight series in which the Hawks lost Game 2 after winning Game 1 on the roadway. Those Game 2 losses have been decided by an overall of 59 points.The series shifts to Atlanta for Game 3 on Sunday.” We need to play harder,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan stated. “That strength that they came out with wasnt a surprise to us. They revealed that theres another level that we have to get to. They absolutely just dominated the whole game.” Young stated he didnt believe the Bucks did anything different schematically to slow him down Friday. He thought the Bucks simply played more strongly and gained from the way the game was called.” When theyre aggressive and (officials) dont call it, nights like tonight happen,” Young said.Milwaukee was intent on making life hard for Young two nights after the Bucks blew a seven-point lead in the final 4 minutes of Game 1. Youngs Game 1 efficiency had actually made him the very first player ever with at least 45 points and 10 helps in a conference finals game.Young dedicated 8 turnovers in the first half alone. Milwaukees Khris Middleton agreed the Bucks aggressiveness made a difference.” That was a big key from Game 1 to Game 2,” Middleton stated. “Game 1, they had the ability to get whatever they wanted on the court. Trae was getting in the paint, tossing those lobs and getting everyone else involved. Tonight we wished to set the tone and just make sure they werent going to be comfy.” Brook Lopez scored 16 points for the Bucks. Middleton had 15 points, eight helps and 7 rebounds. Antetokounmpo had 9 rebounds and six assists.Danilo Gallinari had 12 points and John Collins and Cam Reddish each included 11 for the Hawks.Milwaukee pulled ahead in the opening minutes as Antetokounmpo continuously got to the rim for simple baskets. The Bucks already owned a double-digit lead prior to going on a 20-0 run late in the second quarter to break open the game.” We understand what weve got to do,” Antetokounmpo said. “Everybody knew we needed to be available in here and get this video game. Thats what we did from the very first possession of the video game.” TIP-INSHawks: Reddish played 17 minutes in his very first game action considering that Feb. 21 due to an Achilles tendon injury. … Young had at least 20 points and 7 helps in each of the Hawks 13 playoff games before Friday. Hes the very first player ever to have at least 20 points and 7 assists in each of his very first 13 career championship game. … Reserve forward Nathan Knight went to the locker space midway through the 4th quarter. Knight had arrived on his back after obstructing a shot.Bucks: The Bucks shot 52.1%, the very first time theyve shot over 50% in this postseason. … Antetokounmpos early exit due to the uneven score led to the end of his franchise-record string of 6 straight video games in which he had at least 30 points and 10 rebounds. The last player to gather at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in 6 straight championship game was Shaquille ONeal in 2002. … The Bucks improved to 12-3 in playoff games at Fiserv Forum. —— Follow Steve Megargee at https://twitter.com/stevemegargee ——.
MILWAUKEE—- The Milwaukee Bucks knew the key to tying the Eastern Conference finals was making sure Trae Young didnt take over again.They did all that and more Friday night.Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 25 points, Jrue Holiday added 22 and the Bucks blew out the Atlanta Hawks 125-91 in Game 2. Both teams rested their starters for the entire 4th quarter.This marks the third straight series in which the Hawks lost Game 2 after winning Game 1 on the roadway. Those Game 2 losses have actually been chosen by a total of 59 points.The series shifts to Atlanta for Game 3 on Sunday.” That was a huge key from Game 1 to Game 2,” Middleton stated. … Young had at least 20 points and seven helps in each of the Hawks 13 playoff video games prior to Friday.