Hawks Destroy Bucks at Home to Tie East Finals Series at 2-2; Blowout Victory in Atlanta
Despite missing their main man Trae Young in Game 4 of the East Finals series, the Atlanta Hawks pulled off a blowout victory 110-88, against the Milwaukee Bucks at home to tie the series at 2-2.
Lou Williams Takes Over
According to NBA.com, in the Atlanta Hawks' Game 4 victory, Lou Williams led all scorers with 21 points, while Bogdan Bodganovic had 20. The two backcourt mates came up big for Atlanta in the absence of their floor general Trae Young.
The Atlanta squad started the critical Game 4 at home scorching. They led in the early minutes 10-2. In the absence of Young, former 6th Man of the Year and NBA veteran, Lou Williams, led the charge for the Hawks. The aggressiveness of Williams early in the ball game sparked the Hawks' offense.
In the first three minutes, alongside Williams, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kevin Huerter, and Clint Capela scored baskets for the Hawks to get the early Game 4 momentum. The Hawks' lead continued as they hustled the Bucks on both ends of the floor in the early going. However, the Milwaukee Bucks bounced back with a 15-4 run to cut the Hawks' lead before the opening quarter ended.
Overall Team Effort for Atlanta
The surge made by the Bucks was answered by the Hawks reserves. Early in the second period, the Hawks received quality minutes from rookie Onyeka Okongwu, who had seven points, two rebounds, and two huge blocks in just ten minutes of action.
Also, Cam Reddish, one of the reserves off the bench, had a couple of quality plays on the floor. Reddish made his presence felt on the defensive end in the first half, including a steal and he finished it off with a dunk.
The Atlanta Hawks led at the halftime break, 51-38. Williams led all scorers in the first half with 13 points, proving to everyone that he still has what it takes to be in the league. Williams, after his trade to the Atlanta Hawks, considered retirement after the Los Angeles Clippers traded him.
The Atlanta squad was able to hold Giannis Antetokounmpo in the opening half, the Greek Freak only managed to score six points before halftime. The Hawks held the Bucks to 14-of-42 (33.3%) shooting in the first half. Milwaukee only made 5-of-23 from three or 21.7% beyond the arc.
However, the Bucks started the second half aggressive. Antetokounmpo scored eight points in the first five minutes of the third period, but with seven minutes left on the clock, he went down after trying to defend a dunk by Capela. He was immediately brought to the locker room after being down because of an apparent knee injury. Minutes later, he returned to the bench a few moments later, seemingly walking fine, PeachTree Hoops reported.
After the incident in the third period, the Hawks orchestrated a 15-0 run in the third quarter. They even extended the lead to 25 points heading to the fourth quarter, as Milwaukee struggled to do much of anything without their leader. The Hawks shot 62% from the floor and hit seven threes in the third period.
The Bucks made a 9-0 run to make it a 16-point game to start the fourth, but the Hawks squad refused to give them the momentum that they needed. Atlanta finished off the win from there, winning with a final score of 110-88.
RELATED ARTICLE: Trae Young Injures Ankle in Game 3 Loss; Referee's Foot Caused Hawks Star MRI Prior Game 4
WATCH: #3 BUCKS at #5 HAWKS | FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS | June 29, 2021 - NBA
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