ATLANTA — Khris Middleton came alive in the fourth quarter, carrying the No. 3 seed Bucks to a 113-102 win over the No. 5 seed Hawks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals Sunday at State Farm Arena.
The Bucks take a 2-1 lead in the series. Next up, Game 4 will be at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in Atlanta.
Attempting to rebound from a blowout loss in Game 2, the Hawks led by as many as 15 points in the first quarter but entered the fourth quarter up two. They worked up to a seven-point advantage after some impressive minutes by rookie Onyeka Okongwu, but the Bucks kept coming, taking a 107-100 lead with 3:38 to play after Middleton put up 15 points in about four minutes.
Middleton caught fire, scoring 20 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter, and the Hawks’ shooting went cold (held to 17 points in the fourth), so they couldn’t climb back in it.
Trae Young briefly left the game late in the third quarter after coming down wrong on his right ankle, taking a step back and landing on an official’s foot. He was able to return and led the Hawks in scoring with 35 points, with four assists.
