ATLANTA - Khris Middleton showed once again that the Milwaukee Bucks have more than one player capable of taking over a game.
He did it Sunday night at the best possible time.
Middleton scored 20 of his playoff career high-tying 38 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Bucks to a 113-102 victory over the Atlanta Hawks for a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
"What he did today was unreal," Milwaukee forward Giannis Antetokounmpo said. "He was unbelievable. Carried the team at the end. ... What I saw today was greatness. Simple as that."
Trae Young scored 35 points for Atlanta but was slowed in the final period. The star point guard stepped on an official's foot late in the third and injured his right ankle. He will have an MRI on Monday to help determine the extent of the injury.
"It's hurting. It's frustrating," Young said, adding the injury impacted "my blow-by speed."
Game 4 is Tuesday night in Atlanta.
Middleton scored 10 points in the decisive run in the fourth that gave Milwaukee the lead. He had 11 rebounds and seven assists.
"I just finally got them to go," Middleton said. "I've been struggling some with the ball going in the basket. Finally they started dropping for me at the right time. I'm thankful for that."
Antetokounmpo, the two-time NBA MVP who often has the spotlight for Milwaukee, had 33 points. The third-seeded Bucks trailed most of the game before surging in the fourth quarter. Atlanta led 95-88 before Middleton made his first of three 3-pointers during the 15-3 run for a 103-98 lead.
"Just being around him a lot, he starts to see it go in, he starts to feel good, he gets in a rhythm in a lot of ways," said Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer before adding "I'm just glad he's on our side."
After never leading in a 125-91 Game 2 loss, the Hawks were eager for a better start in their first home game of the series. Turnovers by Middleton and Antetokounmpo led to dunks by Atlanta's Clint Capela, and Kevin Huerter added a 3-pointer for a 7-0 lead for the hosts.
The Hawks stretched the advantage to 13 points. Antetokounmpo was held to five first-quarter points but regained his scoring form in the second period. He had 11 points in the period as the Bucks finally pulled even at 56 on a 3-pointer by Pat Connaughton with 12 seconds remaining in the half.
The Bucks took their first lead at 82-80 on a basket by Bobby Portis Jr. with 1:47 remaining in the third. A 3-pointer by Danilo Gallinari, who had 18 points, gave Atlanta an 85-83 lead at the end of the period.
Middleton opened the final period by sinking a 3 that signaled the start of his big period. He went on to outscore the Hawks, who had 17 points, by himself in the period.
"He was really going from everywhere," Hawks interim coach Nate McMillan said.
Antetokounmpo was on the injury report as probable with left calf tightness but did not appear to be affected by the injury. He had 11 rebounds and played 41 minutes.
"I think it's in a good place," Budenholzer said. "He's going to have to stay on top of it."
Game by game, the Hawks are following the same script of their Eastern Conference semifinal series win over the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers. Just as in that series, the fifth-seeded Hawks split two games on the road before losing their first home game. They won the series in seven games.
"We've been in this position before, and we'll be ready for Game 4," Gallinari said.
But will Young?
He was able to return for much of the fourth quarter, but he didn't have the sort of explosiveness that has made him the breakout leader of Atlanta's stunning playoff run.
"I don't know how bad it is, but he was definitely limping," Gallinari said. "I'm guessing he was not feeling very good."
Young was set to receive extensive treatment from the end of Game 3 until the start of Game 4 in hopes of being as healthy as possible. It's hard to envision the Hawks advancing to the NBA Finals if Young is not at least some semblance of himself the rest of the series.
"Of course, he's our best player," Gallinari said. "If we had to play without him, it's tough."
Young was injured after he threw a pass that was deflected by Jrue Holiday. Young turned to run back on defense, only to step on the foot of referee Sean Wright, who was standing just out of bounds.
It was simply an accident, but that didn't make it any less painful for Young.
"I didn't see him," he said. "I guess I've got to have eyes in the back of my head now to see who's behind me."
Young intends to play. McMillan sounded a little less certain.
"I don't know right now," the Atlanta coach said. "When he returned to the floor, he was obviously limping on that (ankle). When I subbed for him, we just decided to keep him out."
Antetokounmpo acknowledged his team caught a break when Young was injured.
"I hope he can compete in Game 4," Antetokounmpo said. "Yeah, the Hawks definitely need him. He's a big part of what they do and is tough to guard."