The Milwaukee Bucks came from 15 points down to claim a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals with a 113-102 win over the Atlanta Hawks on the road on Sunday.
The Bucks stormed home in the final quarter 30-17, led by Khris Middleton who had a hot hand late, finishing with an NBA career-high 38 points.
They closed the game on a 25-7 run, scoring 10-from-12 field goals, including three-from-four three-pointers.
Middleton also had 11 rebounds and seven assists, while Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.
The Hawks were not helped when Trae Young went down with an ankle injury after tripping on the referee.
Young finished with 35 points for Atlanta, while Italian forward Danilo Gallinari impressed with 18.
The 22-year-old point guard was clearly impaired by his ankle issue late in the game, after spending several minutes in the locker room.
Young also shot 12-from-23 from the field, including six three-pointers at 42.9 per cent from beyond the arc.
Atlanta hit 15-from-37 three-pointers compared to Milwaukee’s 11-from-29, led by Middleton’s six.
But Giannis made his major contribution in the paint, although his free-throw woes continued going at six-from-13 from the stripe.
Bobby Portis made a good contribution off the bench, adding 15 points from 16 minutes.
Game 4 of the series is in Atlanta again on Tuesday.
