Milwaukee obliterated Atlanta in the paint
Even without Giannis Antetokounmpo on the court, the Bucks still dismantled the Hawks on the interior, as they outscored them 66-36 in the paint in Game 5. Atlanta was able to contain the Bucks in the paint in their Game 4 victory on Tuesday night, but this was not the case on Thursday.
Brook Lopez was an absolute beast for the Bucks in this game, as he scored a playoff career-high 33 points on 14-18 shooting and 26 of his total points came in the paint. The Hawks could not keep him out of the paint in this one, especially with Clint Capela on the bench.
Without Giannis, there was a lot of talk about where the offensive production would come from and if the Bucks would be able to find the same amount of success they have been having attacking Atlanta in the paint. Well, we got our answer from Milwaukee loud and clear as pretty much everybody in their starting rotation was able to score with ease in Game 5!
Whether it was scoring in the paint or outrebounding the Hawks in the paint, the Milwaukee Bucks were just simply tougher than the Atlanta Hawks and wanted to win this game more than them. Controlling the paint has been a big emphasis for them in this series and continued to be in their huge win.
Defensively in Game 4, the Hawks did a really nice job of containing Giannis Antetokounmpo and limiting the Bucks when they looked to attack the paint, which ultimately resulted in them winning the game. With Antetokounmpo out though, the Bucks shifted things on offense and seemed to move the ball a lot better with Holiday and Middleton being the team’s primary ball-handlers.
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Every possession, the Bucks had the Hawks on their heels defensively, resulting in Jrue Holiday to attack the paint and either score or dish the ball to an open guy. Time and time again, Holiday would get in the paint and make a play for the Bucks, which is one of the big reasons why Brook Lopez ended up with 33 points.
If the Hawks are to survive and force a Game 7, this simply cannot happen again and they need to toughen up against Lopez. Getting him in foul trouble and exposing him defensively needs to be an emphasis for Atlanta heading into Game 6.
