The Milwaukee Bucks will advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1974, after beating the Atlanta Hawks 118-107 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, Saturday. The win came without the help of All-NBA forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was absent nursing a hyperextended knee.
Without their star, the Bucks were carried by a 32-point performance from Khris Middleton, which included a 13-0 run to give Milwaukee a 60-45 at the start of the second half.
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“Each one of these guys, they work every single day. Everybody stays ready. Everybody stays locks in,” Middleton said after the game.
”It’s sweet,” Milwaukee head coach Mike Budenholzer said after the win.
He echoed Middleton’s statement, praising the hard work of his players: ”These guys have put the work in all year. They deserve to go to the finals. I couldn’t be more proud of them. I love coaching them. We’ve got more work to do.”
The last time the Bucks made it to the NBA Finals, they were led by the duo of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Bucks and Phoenix Suns will tip-off on July 6th.
[Via]