5 reasons why Milwaukee Bucks won 123-112 against Atlanta Hawks in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals | 2021 NBA Playoffs

#3 The Atlanta Hawks failed to make stops

Clint Capela #15 of the Atlanta Hawks

The Milwaukee Bucks offense cruised over the Atlanta Hawks to get to the right spots and execute their gameplan. Although the Hawks are not among the top-rated defensive teams in the NBA, their effort on defense in Game 5 was appalling.

Four of the Milwaukee Bucks' starters were big scorers on the night, with the exception of PJ Tucker. Bobby Portis, who filled in for Giannis in the starting lineup, recorded a career-high 22 points in the NBA playoffs with his first career start.

Brook Lopez 33 PTS - 7 REB - 4 BLK - 14/18 FGBobby Portis 22 PTS - 8 REB - 3 AST - 3 STLJrue Holiday 25 PTS - 6 REB - 13 AST - 45% FGKhris Middleton 26 PTS - 13 REB - 8 AST - 50% FGMilwaukee is one win away from the NBA Finals 🔥 pic.twitter.com/57pU7ZYfRB

— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) July 2, 2021

Khris Middleton and Holiday were also huge contributors, recording 26 and 25 points respectively. It is worth noting that Clint Capela found his groove as the game progressed and made some incredible blocks. But it wasn't enough to rally the Atlanta Hawks as they repeatedly defended without conviction.

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#4 The Milwaukee Bucks continued their dominance in the paint

Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks is pressured by Brook Lopez #11 and Bobby Portis #9 of the Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks are known to get a significant amount of points in the paint. However, Game 4 was different as they finished the game with -2 compared to the Atlanta Hawks' paint points.

They fell apart in the second half of Game 4 after Giannis' departure but did an exceptional job picking themselves up this time around. 66 of their 123 points in Game 5 came in the paint, thanks to Lopez and Portis.

Their paint dominance extended to rebounds as well. The rebounding tally was in favor of the Milwaukee Bucks as they grabbed seven more boards than the Atlanta Hawks' total of 40.

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#5 The Milwaukee Bucks forced the Atlanta Hawks to settle for perimeter shots

Bogdan Bogdanovic #13 of the Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks relied so much on their 3-point shooting in Game 5, and that was partly because they could not find open lanes to the hoop. The Milwaukee Bucks' priority was defending the rim, and they did so expertly. Clint Capela registered only six points, while John Collins settled for mid-range jumpers and the occasional 3-point attempt.

Bogdan Bogdanovic made a playoff career-high 7 threes. pic.twitter.com/wmtUQ8Qymq

— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) July 2, 2021

Even when the Atlanta Hawks were given more room to operate from the perimeter, they struggled to convert, which has been the story of the series. Bogdan Bogdanovic eventually found his range as the game progressed but his team was in too deep a hole by then to climb out of.