Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (C) is assisted off the court after sustaining a knee injury in the second half against the Atlanta Hawks during Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Photo by Erik S. Lesser/EPA-EFE
June 29 (UPI) -- The Atlanta Hawks cruised to a 110-88 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday at State Farm Arena after two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was forced to exit with a left knee injury.
Lou Williams, who was filling in for injured Hawks star Trae Young, scored a game-high 21 points and dished out a team-best eight assists to guide Atlanta to the victory. Young was declared out about 45 minutes before tipoff, having suffered a deep bone bruise when he sprained his right ankle in Game 3.
The series is now tied at two games apiece. Game 5 is scheduled for Thursday night at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
The Hawks started to pull away in the third quarter when Antetokounmpo hobbled off the court with an injured left knee. With about seven minutes left in the frame and the Bucks trailing 62-52, Antetokounmpo jumped to contest an alley-oop pass from John Collins to Clint Capela.
The Bucks star landed awkwardly on his left leg, causing his knee to buckle. He immediately collapsed to the floor and remained on the ground for several minutes as he grimaced in pain.
Antetokounmpo's brother, Thanasis, eventually helped him to his feet and guided him to the locker room. He later returned to the bench, but he was ruled out for the remainder of the game with what the team called a hyperextension.
Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer didn't provide an update on Antetokounmpo after the game, saying, "We'll see how he is [Wednesday]."
Antetokounmpo finished with 14 points and eight rebounds in 24 minutes.
Jrue Holiday paced the Bucks with a team-best 19 points and nine assists. Khris Middleton notched 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Bogdan Bogdanovic broke out of his series-long slump with 20 points and five assists for the Hawks. Before his stellar outing Tuesday, he failed to score in double figures in each of the past three games in the series while shooting just 25% from the field during that span.
Kevin Huerter and Capela each scored 15 points for Atlanta, and Cam Reddish tallied 12 points and five rebounds. Danilo Gallinari added 10 points in 19 minutes off the bench.
