The Hawks and Bucks split the first two games of this Eastern Conference Finals series in Milwaukee, making Game 3 a critical turning point in this matchup momentum wise. During the NBA regular season, the Bucks won one of two games played in Atlanta, but on Sunday night in front of close to 17,000 fans packing State Farm Arena, Milwaukee seized control of this series.
After the Hawks threw the first “punch” at the Bucks in Game 3, Milwaukee hung around and were able to continue fighting with Atlanta until they were able to begin taking control of this game in the third quarter. After being up by seven points in the third, the Bucks began figuring things out and trailed by just two points entering the fourth quarter.
One of the main reasons why Milwaukee began taking control of this game was because Trae Young exited the game in the third quarter with a rolled ankle. He later returned in the fourth quarter, but with Young out and John Collins in foul trouble, Atlanta was doomed on the offensive-end of the court.
Milwaukee outscored Atlanta 30-17 in the fourth quarter behind Giannis and Middleton combining for 25 of the Bucks’ 30 points in the quarter. The Bucks now hold a 2-1 series lead and control “home court” once again, regardless of the outcome in Game 4.
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With Bogdan Bogdanovic already banged up and hurting out on the court, the last thing the Hawks need to be dealing with right now is Trae Young also being limited by a potential ankle injury. He did return to Game 3, but with a sore shoulder and now a sore ankle, Young may not be the same explosive player he was in Game 1 of this series when he scored 48 points.
Now just two wins away from the NBA Finals, the Milwaukee Bucks will look to seize their opportunity to take a commanding lead in this series in Game 4, but there is a lot that can be learned from Game 3 first. With that said, let’s take a look at three main takeaways from Milwaukee’s 113-102 Game 3 victory.
