The Atlanta Hawks took down the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals with a 116-113 win on Wednesday. Friday, the Hawks will look to take a 2-0 series lead with another road win.
Atlanta is now 6-2 on the road this postseason, and have won their last three games as guests after the Game 1 win. Trae Young was again spectacular, posting 48 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds, out dueling two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks struggled figuring out exactly they wanted to defend Young, giving up floaters in the first half but switching more later in the game.
The switching had mixed returns for Milwaukee, as it was effective in limiting Young, but allowed John Collins and Clint Capela to crash the offensive glass against a smaller Bucks lineup. It will be interesting to see which direction the Bucks go to start Game 2. The original defense they started the game with limited the others, while Young was having his way.
Milwaukee did just fine on the offensive end aside from 6-of-23 shooting from the floor (and 0-for-9 from 3PT) by Khris Middleton. They shot 8-of-36 (22.2%) from 3PT as a team, something that is also not all that likely to repeat in Game 2.
Injuries
Kevin Huerter (left ankle soreness) is probable, while Bogdan Bogdanovic (right knee soreness) is questionable. Cam Reddish (right Achilles soreness) is also questionable after being active but not appearing in Game 1. He has yet to appear in a game during the playoffs, and hasn’t played at all since Feb. 21. De’Andre Hunter and Brandon Goodwin remain out for the season.
For the Bucks, Donte DiVincenzo (ankle) is out for the season, and Jordan Nwora, who did not appear in Game 1, is probable.
The Line
The Bucks open as 7.5-point favorites over the Hawks for the second straight game to start the series. They missed a ton of shots in Game 1, so it seems the oddsmakers are content rolling out their initial projections for another game.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Friday, June 25, 8:30 pm ET
Location: Fiserv Forum
TV: TNT
Radio: 92.9 The Game (Atlanta); Hawks Radio Network
Streaming: Watch TNT