Giannis Shines as Bucks Cruise Past Trae Young, Hawks for 34-Point Game 2 Win

The Milwaukee Bucks bounced back from a stunning Game 1 loss to the Atlanta Hawks to notch a 125-91 Game 2 victory in the Eastern Conference Finals at Fiserv Forum to even the series at 1-1. 

Two nights after Trae Young poured in 48 points in a 116-113 road win, the Bucks held the Atlanta star to 15 points as Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo went off for 25 points in 29 minutes.    

A Milwaukee team that hasn't reached the NBA Finals since 1974 will now try to steal a road game at State Farm Arena as the series shifts to Atlanta for Games 3 and 4. 

Notable Performers

Giannis Antetokounmpo, SF, Milwaukee Bucks: 25 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals

Jrue Holiday, PG, Milwaukee Bucks: 22 points, 7 assists, 3-of-4 three-pointers

Trae Young, PG, Atlanta Hawks: 15 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals

John Collins, PF, Atlanta Hawks: 11 points, 8 rebounds

                        

Atlanta's Second-Quarter Meltdown

The Bucks proved they could compete with the Hawks for a full 48 minutes, but there were five minutes in the second quarter that really cost Atlanta an opportunity to go up 2-0 in the series. 

Milwaukee outscored the Hawks 43-17 to go into the locker room with a more than 30-point lead, as a shellshocked Hawks club tried to figure out what just happened. 

Really, it wasn't that hard to dissect. 

After Young drilled a 23-foot pull-up jumper with 6:25 remaining, Atlanta went on to miss five consecutive shots. Over five minutes, Young also committed three turnovers on consecutive possessions, including one right after a Hawks timeout. Each turnover led to an easy Bucks basket. 

It didn't help that Young was pressing on offense as much as possible, taking 11 shots outside of the paint and just five in the lane. He finished the night 6-of-16 from the field (1-of-8 from three), a shadow of the player who tormented the Bucks in Game 1. 

Meanwhile, Milwaukee had four players score in double figures, won the points-in-the-paint battle 62-30 and nailed 15 three-pointers to Atlanta's nine. 

A combination of a cold-shooting Hawks offense that routinely settled for shots and a Bucks team desperate to avoid an 0-2 deficit proved to be more than Atlanta could overcome. 

Whatever good vibes the Hawks had after stealing Game 1 were wiped away. As the series moves to Atlanta, it's the Bucks carrying the momentum. 

        

Giannis Dialed In

Antetokounmpo barely took four minutes to show he was dialed in. 

With 7:50 to play in the first quarter, he spun under the outstretched arm of Solomon Hill, fooling Clint Capela by pump-faking with one hand mid-flight before laying the ball in softly.

The move begs for a slow-motion replay to admire it in its full beauty. 

It was also the type of moment Antetokounmpo would pull off possession after possession. Part of the reason for that was the Greek Freak's insistence on driving to score rather than settling for three-pointers like he did in a second-round series against the Brooklyn Nets.

Antetokounmpo took just three attempts from beyond the arc Friday after attempting two in Game 1. He has yet to hit from behind the arc in the conference finals, but that hardly mattered. All but five of his 18 field-goal attempts came in the lane. Nine of his 11 makes came at the rim, where there was nothing Atlanta could do to stop him. 

If this is the Milwaukee's plan of attack to get to the NBA Finals, it's one the team may be able to rely on. After all, Antetokounmpo was a back-to-back league MVP.

Few players in the world are capable of stopping Antetokounmpo when he's at the rim. Even with Capela and Collins roaming the paint, Atlanta showed it's going to have a tough time slowing him down. 

Unfortunately, the Hawks only have two days to figure out how to do it. 

          

What's Next? 

Game 3 moves to State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Tipoff is slated for 8:30 p.m. ET Sunday on TNT.