Final Score: Hawks 96, Bucks 86

Josh Smith was 1 assist shy of a triple-double, Joe Johnson had 27 points on 51% shooting, and all 5 Atlanta starters were in double figure scoring. Milwaukee only had 1 starter in double figures, and the Hawks came away with an easy double-digit victory to take a 2-0 series lead.

The Bucks were hoping to pull off a short-handed road upset that Portland and Utah had done in the last 2 nights. On Sunday, an undermanned Blazers squad playing without Brandon Roy was able to defeat the Suns in Phoenix in Game 1 of their series. Then the Jazz, playing without two starters, defeated the Nuggets in Denver in Game 2.

But Milwaukee, missing its best player and starting center Andrew Bogut, was unable to get consistent scoring from their playmakers. Brandon Jennings, who scored 34 points in Game 1, had just 9 points in the game, shooting 3 for 15 from the field. John Salmons led the team with 21 points, but was hounded all night defensively and shot just 10 for 23.

For the Hawks, they played their typical game of explosive offensive scoring from several different players. Everyone in the starting lineup scored at least 10 points, led by Joe Johnson's 27.

Josh Smith had a monster game with 21 points, 14 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks while shooting 81% from the field. In fact, he's just the 4th player in NBA playoff history to record a game line of 20, 8, and 8 while shooting 80+%.

Al Horford added 20 and 10 for Atlanta, Mike Bibby had 10 points and 7 assists, and Marvin Williams scored 11.

The Hawks had more assists, rebounds, steals, blocks, and free throws made than the Bucks, while committing less turnovers and team fouls.

All in all, it was a dominant team effort from Atlanta. They took care of business to gain a 2-0 advantage in the series before heading to Milwaukee.

The Bucks must try to find some more easy scoring. The size and length of the Hawks is clearly bothering the Milwaukee offensive sets. And when Milwaukee fails to score in the half court, Atlanta gets out and runs to score in transition.

We'll see if the Bucks find it easier to score on their home floor. Whether they do or not, they still need to find an answer to the explosive Hawks starting 5. Game 3 will be played in Milwaukee on Friday.