Injuries are continuing to dictate the outcomes of these NBA playoffs.
The initial story of Tuesday’s Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals was Trae Young being ruled out after suffering an ankle injury by stepping on a referee’s foot in Game 3. It wasn’t until the 7:14 mark of the third quarter that Giannis Antetokounmpo went down with a horrific leg injury.
Despite walking back out onto the floor after the injury, Giannis was ruled out of the game with a left knee hyperextension.
A record of nine All-Stars have already missed at least one game in these playoffs, according to ESPN writer Marc Stein.
Just as Giannis got injured a Clint Capela dunk would give the Hawks a 10-point lead as Atlanta continued to put up an impressive performance without Young. After the injury, the Hawks followed with an immediate 12-2 run and outscored the Bucks 25-10 in the final seven minutes of the third quarter.
It was clear that the Bucks were deflated afterward as the Hawks managed to win Game 4 110-88 and tie the series up 2-2.
Atlanta was given a vintage Lou Williams performance with the 34-year-old being inserted into the starting lineup for Young. He scored 13 points on 100 percent shooting (4-4 Fg, 1-1 3pt) from the field in the first half. Williams ended Game 4 with 21 points, eight assists, and five rebounds for the Hawks.
Bogdan Bogdanovic added 20 points, 5 rebounds, and four steals. This was his best performance since his knee injury in Game 6 of their semifinals series against the Sixers.
Jrue Holiday led all scorers for the Bucks with 19 points, Khris Middleton provided 16 points. Individually, both shot 6-for-17 from the field and shot a combined 2-for-14 from three-point range.
The status of both Young and Antetokounmpo in this series remain unknown, but the Bucks will look to protect homecourt for a crucial Game 5 against the Hawks on Thursday.
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