
Khris Middleton scored 32 points to power the Milwaukee Bucks into the NBA Finals on Saturday with a series-clinching 118-107 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
The third-seeded Bucks beat the host Hawks in the best-of-seven series 4-2 to book their first appearance in the league championship since 1974.
Milwaukee will face the Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns in the finals which begin on Tuesday.
The Bucks won despite the absence of two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who sat out with a injured left knee.
The 26-year-old Greek forward hyperextended the knee when he landed awkwardly in game four of the series.
The Hawks got their top player Trae Young back after he missed the previous two games with a bruised foot. But Young struggled to score in game six, finishing with just 14 points.
Jrue Holiday stepped up for the second straight game to help fill Milwaukee's offensive void with Antetokounmpo out. Holiday flirted with a triple double, finishing with 27 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
Brook Lopez, who was the star of Thursday's game five win with 33 points, delivered 13 points on Saturday for the Bucks.
The young Hawks, who last made it to the finals 60 years ago when they were based in St. Louis, were trying to force a seventh game.
Cam Reddish came off the bench to score a team high 21 points, Bogdan Bogdanovic had 20 points and John Collins finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.