THE MILWAUKEE BUCKS shook off concerns about the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo to breeze past the Atlanta Hawks 123-112 to take a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference final.

Antetokounmpo was ruled out of the fifth game of the Eastern Conference final with a knee injury but the Bucks’ victory means they are just won win away from their first NBA Finals appearance since 1974.

Four Bucks starters scored in double figures, with Brook Lopez top of the order on 33 points, while Khris Middleton (26), Jrue Holiday (25) and Bobby Portis (22) also had key contributions.

The Hawks, missing their own star in Trae Young, were down early and Milwaukee had a 20-point edge when Lopez landed a dunk with 3:18 left in the first quarter.

Milwaukee saw out the win to take the advantage in the seven-game series, with the winners to face the Phoenix Suns in the finals.