Bucks shut down Hawks in 4th to take 3-2 series lead

By Matt Winkeljohn, for NBA.com
Posted Thursday April 29, 2010 1:25AM

ATLANTA (NBA.com exclusive ) -- Brandon Jennings felt like he was stiffed in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting, and played like it Wednesday by scoring 12 of his 25 points in the first quarter and nailing four clutch free throws as the Bucks upset the Hawks 91-87 in Game 5 with a withering late run.

Yet the story of Milwaukee's hard-to-believe 91-87 upset win -- which gave the Bucks a 3-2 lead with Game 6 Friday in Milwaukee -- lay in small and odd details.

In Philips Arena, ham-handed sub Ersan Ilyasova made four gigantic plays in the final 2:42 -- half of them by first fumbling the ball -- and one of the Bucks' stars of the game went scoreless. That would be Kurt Thomas, the 14-year veteran forward who's had no choice but to play center.

When long-time NBA defensive stalwart Dikembe Mutombo ambled into the visitors' locker room after the game, he went straight to the heart of the matter. "Where's Thomas? I want to talk to the old man . . . still drawing a check all these years," the big man bellowed. "Look at you, still holding people up."

Mutombo grinned. So did Thomas.

The Bucks held up the Hawks when it mattered most as Milwaukee snapped Atlanta's 14-game home winning streak by holding Atlanta to 38 percent shooting with four turnovers in the fourth quarter.

But make no mistake: the key moment came when Thomas drew a charging foul on Atlanta's Joe Johnson to foul out the Hawks' leading scorer with 2:15 left in the game. Johnson, who finished with 13 points, wasn't even trying to score; he whipped a pass outside to Jamal Crawford before the whistle blew.

"I kind of figured he was going to be aggressive and try to get all the way to the basket," Thomas said of Johnson. "I knew to get my feet above the restricted area and hold my ground. Fortunately, I got the call."

The Bucks had already scored eight straight points, seven by John Salmons, but Atlanta still held an 82-81 lead.

Not for long.

Mike Bibby replaced Johnson, and the Bucks went right at him.

Ilyasova slashed to the paint, but fumbled a pass from Salmons. Somehow, he saved the ball before sailing out of bounds under the basket and whipped it back to Thomas. Quickly, Ilyasova posted up. Almost as quickly, Thomas fired the ball back, and with 1:58 left Ilyasova scored a 4-footer for an 83-82 lead the Bucks would never lose.

On Milwaukee's previous possession, Ilyasova snuck in for an offensive rebound when Jennings missed a free throw to set up what would be two free throws by Salmons. "Those plays are the difference in the ball game," said Salmons, who scored 19.

Without Johnson, who averaged 25.8 points over the first four games of the series, the Hawks' offense dissolved.

Josh Smith, who took five stitches above his right eye after a third-quarter collision with Thomas, soon hoisted a 3-point shot, and missed. Teammate Al Horford rebounded, but missed a quick shot.

Jennings several seconds later missed a running jumper. There was Ilyasova, rebounding. He gathered to shoot, but fumbled. Again, he recovered and whipped the ball to Carlos Delfino in the left corner.

Swish! Rebound and assist to Ilyasova, 86-82 lead to the Bucks.

"I didn't catch well," Ilyasova said. "I tried to use the mismatch situation [against Bibby]. We was lucky there to get it to Carlos for the 3-point shot. That was huge."

It was the end for the Hawks, and it came not by design.

"It was a set play, but it wasn't supposed to be for a 3-pointer in the corner," said Delfino, who made just 2 of 7 shots for seven points. "It was supposed to be for a layup [by Ilyasova]. The clock was going down so I shoot."

Horford scored the Hawks' final five points, including just his second 3-point shot of the season (he made his only regular-season try), but Atlanta was discombobulated down the stretch, as Crawford missed four shots in the final 1:02, at least three of them taken off balance.

"Our composure . . . coming down the stretch, we just let it get away," said Atlanta coach Mike Woodson. "They kept driving the ball, and getting to the free-throw line. We were terrible in our half-court execution."

Jennings made four straight free throws in the final 18 seconds to cap a fourth quarter that saw Milwaukee make 15 of 18 from the line while the Hawks did not attempt a single free throw in the quarter. He was more impressive in the first quarter, scoring 12 points to stake the Bucks to a 24-23 lead after the first period.

"This would have to be the best game of the whole year because it's the playoffs," he said. "I had got a little motivation before the game so that made me one to come out and really play. I knew I had to come out aggressive."

Atlanta's miserable ending made it hard to remember that Horford and Marvin Williams scored career playoff highs with 25 and 22 points, respectively.

The Hawks appeared to toy with Milwaukee in Games 1 and 2 in Atlanta, and built a 13-point lead in the third quarter Wednesday. They led by nine, 82-73, with 4:09 left before the Bucks went on a 13-0 run.

"They just played harder than us on both ends of the court," Johnson said, "and did the little things we're not doing. It's never over until the buzzer sounds. Anything's possible."