NBA Playoffs: Young hits a career-high as the Hawks beat the Bucks in a Game 1 shocker

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - The Atlanta Hawks just barely got by the Milwaukee Bucks to take the series opener of the Eastern Conference finals.

Trae Young scored a career playoff-high 48 points to lead the Hawks over the Bucks in game one of the Eastern Conference finals.
Trae Young scored a career playoff-high 48 points to lead the Hawks over the Bucks in game one of the Eastern Conference finals.  © IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

Trae Young (22) got down to business against the Bucks, pushing his team to a 116-113 win in Game 1 on Wednesday night to take a 1-0 lead in the series. It was a career-defining performance for the point guard, with his 48-point haul marking a new personal playoff best.

Atlanta is still riding high from their upset of the top-seeded Sixers in the conference semifinals. Just enough of that adrenaline carried over into this game, as the Hawks did just enough to survive, handing Milwaukee its first playoff loss at home.

"I felt we've built ourselves to be able to play on the road," Hawks coach Nate McMillan said, to ESPN after the game. If anything, Trae Young is built for the playoffs, as the smallest player on the floor looked unstoppable again and seemed to be able to score at will.

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And the Hawks needed that scoring for sure to keep up with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday, who scored 34 and 33 points respectively. Apart from those two, no other Buck could score more than 15 points. This was a clear sign that the supporting cast’s lack of offense likely led to Milwaukee’s demise.

The Bucks’ offense just wasn’t working at its best, and while they did muster 70 points in the paint, they didn’t take much advantage of Atlanta’s mistakes, scoring only four points off of 13 Hawks turnovers.

Recent playoff history might be on Milwaukee’s side for game two

While it’s not been wise to underestimate the Hawks in these playoffs, a little recent history during this postseason might be in Milwaukee’s favor. After winning the opener in each round of the playoffs this year, the Hawks would go on to drop game two. It's not much, but it could be something for the Bucks to build on going forward.

Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals is back in Milwaukee on Friday night.

Cover photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press

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