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Diaranson 30 Juni 2021

Two-time MVP gladly cedes lead role in playoffs to Middleton

(AP) — Giannis Ante- guy to death. If he wants the want to be a winner. I have Monday, which showed a making just 3 of 16 shots to
tokounmpo is a two-time ball, he gets it. Simple as that. the whole game to be the guy. bone bruise. He was listed as finish with eight points.
MVP, one of the best play- He’s knocking down shots.” I don’t care about being the questionable for Game 4.
ers on the planet. guy in the fourth quarter.” “His shot has not fallen for
Middleton scored 20 of his It’s hard to envision the up- him, but he’s a guy who I be-
Even so, he’ll gladly cede the playoff career high-tying 38 While the Bucks appear to start Hawks pulling off an- lieve that next shot is going
closer’s role to Khris Middle- points in the fourth quarter have several players who can other playoff upset without a down,” coach Nate McMil-
ton in the Eastern Confer- of Game 3, rallying the Bucks carry them to the NBA Finals player who’s been one of the lan said. “He had some wide-
ence finals. to a 113-102 victory that re- — don’t forget Jrue Holiday breakout stars of the postsea- open looks that I’m willing to
stored the home-court edge — the Hawks rely on one son. trust that he’s going to knock
With Middleton taking com- they lost to the Hawks in the player above all others. those shots down. It just isn’t
mand in the final minutes, series opener at Milwaukee. Young is averaging 29.8 points falling for him. It hasn’t fall-
the Milwaukee Bucks are And he’s hurting. in the playoffs, including 35 en for him this whole series.”
now up 2-1 on the Atlanta Antetokounmpo wasn’t the in Game 3 even though he
Hawks heading to Game 4 of least bit hesitant about step- Trae Young twisted his right made only one basket after While the Hawks might need
the series Tuesday night. ping aside for Middleton in ankle in a freak accident Sun- being injured. someone other than Young to
the biggest minutes of the se- day night, stepping on a ref- play a leading role on offense,
“We were like, ‘Get the hell ries so far. eree’s foot along the sideline “He’s the head of our snake,” they’re faced with an equally
out of the way, give him the in the final minute of the teammate John Collins said. perplexing predicament at
ball, take us home, Khris,’ “Doesn’t matter who is the third quarter. “That’s the last thing anyone the defensive end: Stopping
and that’s what he did,” Ante- first guy. Does not matter,” who’s a Hawks’ supporter Milwaukee’s Big Three.
tokounmpo said. “I trust this Antetokounmpo said. “I He underwent an MRI on wants see is that dude coming
down with any knick-knack Antetokounmpo is averaging
or whatever it is. ... You hate 30.7 points per game in this
to see it. I’m just hoping and series, Middleton 22.7 and
praying he’s gonna be OK.” Holiday 20.3

Young was able to return to The Hawks could sure use
the court with just under 9 De’Andre Hunter, one of
minutes remaining and the their best defensive players,
Hawks nursing a five-point but he’s out for the rest of the
lead. But he was limping season after undergoing knee
noticeably and grimacing in surgery.
pain every time he dribbled
up the court. Also, the Hawks made things
even easier for the Bucks by
Lacking his trademark ex- settling for too many con-
plosiveness, which creates so tested shots early in the shot
many opportunities for the clock, giving Milwaukee a
Hawks’ offense, Young hit chance to turn misses into
only one basket the rest of easy transition baskets at the
the game. Middleton and the opposite end.
Bucks outscored Atlanta 25-9
to win going away. McMillan acknowledged the
difficulty in shutting down
“It was really my blow-by — or at least creating more
speed,” Young said. “That’s a issues — for Milwaukee’s big
big part of my game, my abil- scorers.
ity to blow by anybody.”
“It’s really a three-headed
If Young can’t go in Game monster over there with An-
4, or can only play limited tetokounmpo as well as Khris
minutes without his usual ef- and Jrue,” the Hawks coach
fectiveness, the Hawks will said. “All of those guys are
have to rely on a team effort isolation players. They do a
to compensate. good job of spacing the floor.
If you are committing to the
That means Lou Williams ball, then they are more than
playing a bigger role, Collins happy to shoot the 3 ball.”
staying out of foul trouble,
and Bogdan Bogdanovic be- Especially Middleton, who
ing much more effective than went 6 of 12 from beyond the
he has been so far in the play- arc in Game 3.
offs.
“When a guy gets hot like
Bogdanovic, who was Atlan- that, you’d like to basically
ta’s biggest free agent signing run a guy at him,” McMillan
during the last offseason, has said. “Before we could even
been the most glaring disap- get a guy on him, he had re-
pointment of the surprising leased it. He was really scor-
postseason run by the confer- ing from everywhere.”
ence’s No. 5 seed.
The two-time MVP was glad
Bothered by a sore knee, Bog- to keep feeding Middleton
danovic is averaging just 12.3 the ball.
points in the playoffs and has
gone six straight games with- “For me, it was greatness,”
out reaching double figures. Antetokounmpo said. “Sim-
He was awful in Game 3, ple as that.”