Hawks blown out in Game 2, 125-91
The Atlanta Hawks had not won a Game 2 in either of their playoff series before the Eastern Conference Finals.
That trend did not change Friday night in Milwaukee.
A 20-0 Milwaukee run near halftime lifted the Bucks to a 125-91 victory over Atlanta, evening the series at 1-1.
The Hawks could not come back from 13 first-half turnovers, 17-of-40 field goal shooting, and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.
"They turned up their pressure, and we did not handle that pressure well," interim head coach Nate McMillan said.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JUNE 25: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks goes up for a shot against Clint Capela #15 of the Atlanta Hawks during the first half in game two of the Eastern Conference Finals at Fiserv Forum on June 25, 2021 in M
The Bucks took a 77-45 advantage into the break. It was the 10th time in NBA playoff history that a team has led by 32 or more points at halftime. There has never been a successful comeback from that high of a deficit.
The Bucks' lead only grew to 30 points quickly into the third quarter, and they led by as many as 41 in the second half.
Trae Young tied his career high with 9 turnovers in the third quarter, and the Hawks as a team turned it over 19 times throughout the game.
"I take complete responsibility for what happened tonight," Young said. "I need to be better taking care of the ball, and I will be better."
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes for the Bucks, and Jrue Holiday added 22 points along with seven assists in 32 minutes.
A bright spot for the Hawks was the return of forward Cam Reddish, who saw minutes for the first time since February after suffering from right Achilles soreness. He added 11 points, two rebounds and a steal in 17 minutes played.
"This is something that we just move on. We did a good job getting Game 1, and now we have to go home and defend home court," McMillan said. "We need to be able to take that next step, raise our level of play."
Game 3 will be at State Farm Arena on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. The Hawks have announced a sell-out crowd for that game.