The Milwaukee Bucks are one game away from the NBA Finals. On Thursday, they hosted the Atlanta Hawks in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals with both sides missing key factors. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Trae Young, DeAndre Hunter and Donte DiVincenzo all stay out, but the Bucks did a much better task of changing their superstars production. After jumping ahead by as many as 20 points in the very first half, the Bucks took out the triumph, 123-112, to take a 3-2 lead in the series. 4 players stood apart. Brook Lopez blazed a trail with a playoff career-high 33 points, but 3 of his colleagues were hot on his trail. Khris Middleton scored 26 points of his own to support 25 from Jrue Holiday and 22 from Bobby Portis. Combined, they scored all but 17 of Milwaukees points for the game. It was a worthy effort from a hobbled Bogdan Bogdanovic to score 28 for the Hawks, however his teammates could not offer him enough support to steal this one. The Bucks and Hawks will now take a trip to Atlanta for Game 6 on Saturday. Game 7 in Milwaukee will be on Monday if the Hawks win. If the Bucks win? Theyll fulfill the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals. For now, here are the 3 greatest takeaways from Game 5.1. Brooks time machineBefore Brook Lopez was a stretch huge male, he was a traditional low-post threat. He balanced over 20 points per video game four times as a member of the Nets, and he got there mostly by punishing opposing bigs near the basket. As the NBA has grown smaller, his mix of size and ability has just grown deadlier inside. He simply hasnt played for a group that has actually allowed him to use those abilities. As good as Lopez is near the basket, Giannis Antetokounmpo is merely much better. He areas the floor for his MVP colleague and uses the bulk of his energy on defense.Antetokounmpos absence changed the entire geometry of the floor for the Bucks. Replacing him with Bobby Portis gave the Bucks the spacing that Lopez usually provided, so he might run more inside. That didnt suggest conventional post-ups, however, a minimum of not for one of the most part. The majority of Lopezs simplest points came in pick-and-roll. 5 of his 6 dunks came through some variation of that play.The Bucks did an amazing task of putting Lopez in position to score easy baskets in Game 5. They made clever hit-ahead passes to get him quick inequalities in the post. They ran small-small pick-and-rolls to bait huge men away from him. Even when they left him in the dunkers area, the Hawks didnt respect his gravity enough inside to remain with him. The result was 33 points, his playoff career-high, and something of a throwback to his more youthful self. NBA offenses have actually altered a fair bit considering that his prime time, but with a couple of modern touches, the Bucks had the ability to make Lopez look like an All-Star again. 2. The stars are aligningSpeaking of All-Stars, the Bucks have 2 more of them that have been overshadowed by Antetokounmpo. Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday have both had big video games this postseason, but have actually struggled on balance. Vacations shooting percentage has decreased over eight portion points while Middletons has actually gone down almost 5. Thats to be expected to a degree. Playoff defense is much better. Their streakiness has actually been the real problem this postseason. Both will get hot for quick stretches, and those stretches never ever overlap. Video game 5 was the very first time all postseason in which Holiday and Middleton both scored 25 or more points in a single game. It took place 4 times in the regular season … and 3 of those video games featured Giannis either remaining entirely or getting injured in the video game itself. That in no method, type or shape suggests that the Bucks are better without their MVP. Middleton and Holiday both benefitted from the extra space on the floor tonight, and they both benefitted from the extra touches his lack provided. They had an easier time getting into a rhythm as ball-handlers as most of the offense was funneled through them. Ideally, theyll have the ability to carry this momentum with them if Antetokounmpo returns. Giannis is still the centerpiece of the offense, however getting Holiday and Middleton engaged early must be a priority.3. Is Bogdanovic back?It got lost in the wave of other injuries the Hawks suffered this postseason, however Bogdan Bogdonvics knee pain quietly had a huge effect on Atlantas offense. It effectively denied the Hawks of their secondary ball-handler, putting a huge quantity of pressure on Trae Young to carry the offense. He did so splendidly in the bulk of those games, but when he went down in Game 3, the truth that the Hawks didnt have a healthy Bogdanovic played a big part in eliminating their offense. He had six straight video games with single-digit points between Game 5 of the Philly series and Game 3 of the Milwaukee series. He showed some indications of life in Game 4 with 20 points, however 18 of them originated from behind the line. It was the exact same general story in Game 5. He scored 28 points, however 21 of them originated from behind the arc. Still, thats a much better ratio than he had in Game 5, and the eye test told the very same story. He wasnt precisely attacking the basket with reckless abandon, however with each passing game hes shown increasingly more movement. He can a minimum of maneuver around the majority of the court at this stage. If Young is going to miss out on anymore time, the Hawks desperately require that much a minimum of out of Bogdanovic, due to the fact that otherwise, Lou Williams becomes their only dependable ball-handler. He had 6 turnovers in Game 5, not precisely traditional point player material. Hes not his old self yet, however if the Hawks get 28 explain of him in Game 6, they will not care where those points come from..

He averaged over 20 points per video game 4 times as a member of the Nets, and he got there mainly by penalizing opposing bigs near the basket. Game 5 was the first time all postseason in which Holiday and Middleton both scored 25 or more points in a single video game. He did so wonderfully in the bulk of those video games, but when he went down in Game 3, the truth that the Hawks didnt have a healthy Bogdanovic played a huge part in eliminating their offense. He showed some indications of life in Game 4 with 20 points, however 18 of them came from behind the line. He had six turnovers in Game 5, not precisely conventional point guard material.