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NBA Playoffs 2021: Atlanta Hawks pull off huge upset win over Milwaukee Bucks in Game 4

Yash Matange

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NBA Playoffs 2021: Atlanta Hawks pull off huge upset win over Milwaukee Bucks in Game 4 image

No Trae Young, no problem. 

Despite missing their 22-year-old superstar, the Atlanta Hawks pulled off a huge upset over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 4. Led by their starting backcourt of Lou Williams and Bogdan Bogdanovic (20 points, five assists, four steals), the Hawks recorded a blowout 110-88 win. 

For the Bucks, who were outplayed on both ends of the floor, Jrue Holiday was their top contributor with 19 points and nine assists. 

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Here are a quick look at the game's takeaways:

Clippers of the East

No matter the circumstances, bet against the Hawks at your own risk. 

Time and again, in the 2021 postseason, the mostly young squad has pulled off huge upsets and comebacks. As the fifth seed, they stunned the fourth-seeded New York Knicks in the first round and eliminated them in five games.

Then, they pulled off arguably the biggest upset of these playoffs when they stunned the Conference top seed in the Philadelphia 76ers by edging them out in the seven games.

Through five games of the Western Conference Finals and four in the East, an interesting debate can be had on which team - the Clippers or Hawks - have been the bigger surprise this postseason. 

Hawks spirited first half

In the absence of Young, the Hawks needed a team effort to make Game 4 competitive and they did just that. 

At intermission, they led 51-38 with as many as six players scoring at least six points. Williams led the way with 13 while the duo of Bogdanovic and Kevin Huerter scored six each and combined for seven of the team's 12 first-half assists. 

Other key scorers were Clint Capela, Danilo Gallinari and Onyeka Okongwu as the trio combined for 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting. 

More impressively, Atlanta took control of the game on both ends. Scoring 11 points off the Bucks' nine turnovers and flipping Milwaukee's paint dominance by outscoring them 20-14 inside. 

For the Bucks, PJ Tucker, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday combined for 24 with eight each while Giannis Antetokounmpo scored six. 

Giannis injury compounds matters

Coming out of halftime, the Bucks looked more in-sync on offence and given their talent, they were always primed for a comeback but then their two-time league MVP injured his left knee. 

After heading back to the locker room, he did return to the bench but eventually, the Bucks made the call to declare him out.

Before the Bucks could recover from what just transpired, the Hawks pulled off a quick 15-2 run, including 12 unanswered, in the span of four minutes. 

Next man up

Without Young, the Hawks not only needed balanced offence but they needed it from guys deeper in their rotation as coach Nate McMillan would be forced to spread Young's minutes. 

On que, Cam Reddish stepped up. Their numbers don't steal your eyes on the stat sheet but their contributions were invaluable. 

Reddish, who only logged 17 minutes since Feb. 23 and those came in the Game 2 blowout, did a little bit of everything. In 23 minutes, he finished with 12 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block on 5-of-9 shooting from the field.

What's next?

Against all odds, the Hawks pull off an impressive victory in Game 4 and now, make this series a best-of-three. This makes Game 5 a pivotal contest which is set for Friday, Jul. 1 at 8:30 p.m ET. 

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Yash Matange

Yash Matange Photo