The first half of Game 1 was a struggle for Atlanta, as they posted eight turnovers and at one point were 1-for-11 from three. However, the Hawks got a whole lot from Trae Young. The point guard was masterful, dropping 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting to go with four assists. The Bucks continued to allow him to get to his floater due to Brook Lopez’s inability to play anything but drop coverage in pick and roll.
Outside of Young, Kevin Huerter posted another solid half, pouring in nine points, including a 31-foot three-pointer to give the Hawks a brief lead with 4:03 to go. From there, though, the Bucks continued to get whatever they wanted offensively and got back to forcing sloppy play from Atlanta’s offense. At the end of the half, with a chance to enter with a lead, Atlanta had back-to-back turnovers on poor ball handling from Young and Collins.
On the defensive end of the floor, there weren’t many positives either. Giannis and Middleton penetrated at will, generating plenty of easy looks for themselves and Milwaukee’s shooters. Ultimately, the Hawks would enter the locker room down just five, which felt like a win considering they didn’t play particularly well on either end.
Then the third quarter happened. Between Trae’s shimmy three, John’s multiple dunks, and Gallo’s hoop mixtape crossover on PJ Tucker, the Hawks gained the momentum they desperately needed. Heading into the fourth, they’d lead by three.
The fourth quarter saw the Hawks cool off somewhat, but the Bucks offense left much to be desired. That was until the final six minutes, where a 9-0 Bucks run gave Milwaukee a seven-point lead with 4:26 to go. A Collins put-back dunk and a three-point play from Young would quickly cut the lead down to two again just a minute later.
Down the stretch, the Bucks would ride Giannis as much as possible, and he delivered offensively. Fast forward to the final few possessions, and a Middleton miss led to a Capela put-back layup to give the Hawks a one-point lead with 29.8 remaining.
A bad miss on an open three from Pat Connaughton led to a last-ditch save attempt from Giannis that ended in Young’s hands, who was fouled. He would hit both free throws.
Great defense by the Hawks on the next possession finished with a foul on Giannis. He would make both as well. The following inbound for Atlanta came with 5.3 to go, up one. A quick foul for Milwaukee put Ice Trae back at the line with 4.6 left. As if there were any doubt, he made both again. A missed open three from Middleton sealed it for Atlanta, as the Hawks continued to battle until the final buzzer.
Takeaways
Trae Young is a superstar.
Solomon Hill was better than expected.
Bogdan Bogdanovic is anything but healthy.
The Hawks will pay John Collins.
Trae Young is a superstar.
Stats of the game
Trae Young 48 points 11 assists 50% from the field
John Collins 23 points 15 rebounds
Clint Capela 12 points 19 rebounds
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