The Hawks opened the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals against the Bucks with another road victory. The Hawks went into Milwaukee and won 116-113.
For openers
The Hawks have won each Game 1 on the road during the postseason, defeating the Knicks, 76ers and now the Bucks. The Bucks were undefeated at home. Not anymore. They were 2-0 in a four-game sweep of the Heat in the opening round and 3-0 in the seven-game win over the Nets in the semifinals.
Inside the box score
- It’s early in his postseason career, but Trae Young set another playoff high with a game-high 48 points. He was 17 of 34 from the field, including 4 of 13 from 3-point range. All the Hawks struggled from distance, finishing 8 of 32 (25%) as a team.
- The Bucks were 8 of 36 (22.2%) from 3-point range. Notably, Khris Middleton was 0 of 9.
High praise
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA MVP, had high praise for Young entering the series.
“He is an amazing player,” Antetokounmpo said. “What he can do for his size, the way he can get down the lane and get everybody involved, look for his shot, create for himself, it’s unbelievable. … What he’s done in a three-year span is unbelievable. Keep getting better, believe in yourself and the sky’s the limit for him. He’s going to be a great player for a lot of years to come in this league.”
Fast breaks
- The Hawks are the third team since 1984 to make the conference finals despite having a losing record at the All-Star break. They were 16-20. They join the 2012 Celtics and 1984 Suns in advancing to the conference finals.
- The Bucks set a franchise record by averaging 120.1 points per game this season. They led the NBA in scoring for the third straight season. They were the highest-scoring team in the league since the 1984-85 Nuggets averaged 120.0 points per game.
Familiar faces
John Collins is the only Hawks player still with the team during Mike Budenholzer’s final season as head coach in 2017-18. Budenholzer is now Milwaukee’s coach.
“He’s grown in every way, shape and form and he had a great first year,” Budenholzer said before the series. “He’s a very good player.”
Several assistant coaches remain on the Bucks staff that left Atlanta with Budenholzer. They are Darvin Ham, Charles Lee, Ben Sullivan and Patrick St. Andrews.
Injury report
The Hawks upgraded Cam Reddish (right Achilles soreness) to questionable before Game 1 and he was available to play. Reddish, who appeared in only 26 games this season, has been inactive since last playing on Feb. 21. However, coach Nate McMillan said that Reddish would not be rushed back and would be behind Solomon Hill and Tony Snell in the rotation off the bench. “We are not going to put him under any pressure,” McMillan said. “He hasn’t played in a few months. There are guys in front on him as far as rotation and we will stick with those guys.” McMillan noted that Reddish still hasn’t played any 5-on-5 in practice.
Kevin Huerter (left ankle soreness) was listed as probable and Bogdan Bogdanovic (right knee soreness) was listed as questionable. Both started but Bogdanovic was clearly hobbled. He went 1 of 6 from the field. Over the past four games, since the injury, he is 9 of 34. Brandon Goodwin (minor respiratory condition) and De’Andre Hunter (right meniscus surgery) were out.
