The Milwaukee Bucks needed guys to step up with Giannis Antetokounmpo out for Game 5 against the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Finals. Little did the Bucks know that Brook Lopez would do his own Giannis impression in a pivotal 123-112 victory that has them sitting on the precipice of the NBA Finals.
Lopez dominated in the paint all night long in a throwback performance, going for a playoff career-high 33 points on 14-of-18 shooting. The big man was dunking all over the Hawks, including this insane alley-oop finish that was Greek Freak-esque:
BROOK. LOPEZ. đł pic.twitter.com/RjdWWmPucD
â Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) July 2, 2021
The man who threw the lob, Jrue Holiday, was in absolute awe that Lopez was able to corral the errant pass and throw it down with such authority:
âThat joint was crazy,â Holiday said, per The Athletic's Eric Nehm. âLike he made me look good because I threw a bad pass.â
Holiday also joked that âBrook's the MVP,â and while Lopez obviously is no Antetokounmpo, he played the part extremely well on Thursday night.
While Lopez was dominant, he got plenty of help from his teammates, including Holiday himself. The above lob to Lopez was one of 13 assists on the night for the Bucks guard, who also poured in 25 points on 9-of-20 shooting.
Khris Middleton nearly notched a triple-double with 26 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, while Bobby Portis had 22 points and eight rebounds starting in place of the injured Giannis.
It's unclear if Antetokounmpo will return to the lineup as the Bucks try to close out the Hawks in Game 6. If he doesn't, Milwaukee should try to emulate what happened in Game 5 in order to get to the NBA Finals. Expecting Lopez to do another Giannis impression is asking a bit much, but another strong team effort should get the job done.
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