Going 8-for-12 from the field, he scored 23 points in the third quarter alone, nearly outscoring the entire Hawks team in the process. That wasn't going to cut it, so Middleton came out of the halftime break and turned in one of the best quarters of his career. At halftime he had more turnovers (6) than points (5). After a near triple-double in Game 5, he got off to a rough start in Game 6. He made sure there wouldn't be another of the latter on his watch. ![]() Middleton has been with the Bucks and has seen it all with this franchise, from a 15-win season to playoff failures. You could not have asked for a better response, as they each delivered brilliant back-to-back performances in the biggest games of their careers. But while he avoided the worst, he was in no position to play in the rest of this series, which put all sorts of pressure on Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday.Įveryone had to step up, but those two, in particular, needed to lead the way to make sure the Bucks didn't go home early again. Middleton and Holiday deliver without Giannisīy some miracle, Giannis Antetokounmpo did not suffer a serious long-term injury when he violently hyperextended his knee in Game 4. It doesn't matter how you got there, just that you did. There were shaky moments at times during this run, and no one would have predicted the path. They got revenge over the Heat in the first round, outlasted Kevin Durant and the shorthanded Brooklyn Nets in the second round and took out the surprising Hawks in the conference finals despite Giannis hyperextending his knee in Game 4. They didn't appear to be legitimate title contenders, and Giannis' free agency was looming.įast forward a year later, and not only has Giannis committed to the team and the city for the long haul, but the Bucks are in the Finals for the first time since 1974. After the loss to the Heat, there were real questions about the future of this Bucks team. In 2019, the lost four straight games to the Toronto Raptors to crash out of the Eastern Conference finals, and down in the bubble in 2020 they were embarrassed by the Miami Heat in the second round. When it came to the playoffs, however, things tended to fall apart. Twice they finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference, and this season they earned the No. Or, at least they were in the regular season. The Bucks finally break throughĮver since Giannis Antetokounmpo took his game to new heights and established himself as a two-time MVP, the Bucks have been one of the best teams in the league. Here are three key takeaways from Milwaukee's win. Now, the Bucks and Suns will square off in the NBA Finals with Game 1 scheduled for Tuesday night in Phoenix. While he attempted to play through a bone bruise that had sidelined him earlier in the series, Trae Young just did not have enough in the tank to help Atlanta extend this series, and their season, as the All-Star finished the loss with 14 points and nine assists. ![]() With Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined yet again, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday put the Bucks on their backs and combined for 59 points to carry Milwaukee to an opportunity to compete against the Phoenix Suns for a championship on the game's biggest stage. The Milwaukee Bucks are heading to the NBA Finals after holding on for a 118-107 win over the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night.
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