The Milwaukee Bucks throttled the Atlanta Hawks in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and NBA Twitter was in shock.
After the Atlanta Hawks stole Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on the road behind a historic Trae Young performance, many wondered how the Milwaukee Bucks would respond in Game 2.
On Friday night, we got our answer: Emphatically.
In a 125-91 rout at home, the Bucks evened the series in a game that decided by halftime. While the Hawks only trailed 34-28 at the end of the first quarter, Milwaukee blew the door off the hinges in the second quarter, outscoring Atlanta 43-17 in the period to take a 32-point lead into the break.
NBA Twitter was in shock by the Bucks’ Game 2 performance
Nobody was surprised that the Bucks responded; led by a two-time MVP in Giannis Antetokounmpo, flanked by Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, this is a very good Milwaukee team. But it was the way they responded that had people in shock, because they made the Hawks look like a JV squad in Game 2.
So of course NBA Twitter had plenty to say about it.
In a game where the Bucks led by as many as 41 points, it was pretty stunning to witness total annihilation like that in a conference finals game.
Giannis led the way with 25 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, Jrue Holiday chipped in 22 points and 7 dimes and with the exception of Justin Jackson, all 15 Bucks players who entered the game scored.
The Hawks, meanwhile, were led by 15 points from Trae Young, but their All-Star point guard shot the ball poorly, going 5-for-16 from the field. Only three Atlanta players reached double digits in the scoring column.
With the series shifting back to Atlanta for the next two games, the Hawks did their jobs by stealing a game on the road. But momentum definitely swung back in the Bucks’ favor after Game 2, so we’ll see how Nate McMillan’s squad responds.