After the Atlanta Hawks ruled out point guard Trae Young for Game 4, the Milwaukee Bucks’ path became clearer.

When Bucks All-NBA forward Giannis Antetokounmpo slumped in a heap of limbs, screaming in anguish and grabbing his hyperextended left knee, an avalanche of boulders tumbled into that route.

In the time it takes Antetokounmpo to jump and defend a Clint Capela alley-oop dunk, get tangled on the way down, and land awkwardly, the course of a playoff series may alter.

Atlanta, who dominated from start to end, defeated Milwaukee 110-88 on Tuesday, tying the Eastern Conference finals at 2-2.

Antetokounmpo sat out the final 19 minutes, but the Bucks were already in danger with him on the court. The Hawks lead 51-38 at halftime and 62-52 when Antetokounmpo was injured.

It was only a four-possession game, but the Bucks had shown no signs of being capable of a comeback. They got off to a terrible start, were limited by Atlanta’s defense, and struggled to contain the Hawks’ it-takes-a-village attitude without Young.

“To come out and be flat like that and not give the energy, effort, to be able to win this game … it was a very winnable game even when we got down early,” Bucks forward P.J. Tucker said. “For us to not turn it on and be able to get over that hump and be able to give ourselves a chance to win this game is disappointing. It can’t happen.”

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer will address that during film sessions in Milwaukee on Wednesday.

The more pressing topic is Antetokounmpo’s availability for the remainder of the series and beyond the conference finals.

“Obviously Giannis is a big part of our soul and our fiber,” Budenholzer said.

Antetokounmpo, who sprained the same knee earlier this season and missed two games in late March, will have the knee scanned to determine the extent of the injury.

“We’ll see how he is tomorrow,” Budenholzer said.

The Bucks will face their longest wait-and-see of the season. Whether you root for the Bucks, the Hawks, or simply enjoy watching terrific basketball, this is a terrible injury to a player who has worked very hard from his days as a kid in Athens, Greece to his back-to-back MVP seasons to an All-NBA player attempting to reach his first NBA Finals.

Antetokounmpo had been too much of a force for Atlanta, particularly in Milwaukee’s victory in Games 2 and 3. He limited his 3-point attempts and drove to the hoop with aggression in the first three games of the series, averaging 30.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists, two steals, and shooting 59.4% from the field.

The hope is that it will not be a season-ending injury.

Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis, Denver’s Jamal Murray, Utah’s Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell, Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving and James Harden, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, Boston’s Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker, Los Angeles Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard, and Atlanta’s Young all missed games this year.

After exiting the game, Antetokounmpo went to the locker room, returned to the bench, and then went back to the locker room.

“I don’t want to speak for him,” Budenholzer said. “I know just historically it’s impossible to keep him off the court. It’s impossible to keep him away from his teammates, keep him away from his team. So my guess is he probably wants to play and trying to play, and if not, let his teammates know that he’s there for them.”

Once play resumed, the Hawks extended the lead to 74-54.

“I’m sure there’s the human element where the concern, care, for him is real,” Budenholzer said. “But they are in the heat of the battle. They are playing. They are competing. They are trying to get stops, trying to get rebounds, trying to do things, trying to find a way to be there for him while he’s not able to be on the court, and I’m sure that’s what they will do.”

Still, the Bucks looked dazed.

“It’s not good losing anybody on your team,” Tucker said. “Losing a player stinks. But we didn’t come out with energy tonight. We just thought we was going to walk in and win the game. We didn’t do anything to show that we wanted to win this game tonight. We were flat, and our guy’s injury was just another piece of the puzzle to us losing.”

If the Bucks are without Antetokounmpo for any games, they coincidentally will have to draw inspiration from the Hawks, who beat the Bucks without Young.

“We’ll just take everything as it comes,” Budenholzer said. “We’ll evaluate it, and we’ve got a heck of a team, a heck of a roster. The guys will be ready to compete and play. That’s what it’s about.

“So we’ve got a Game 5. We’ll watch the film. We’ll prepare. We’ll get ready. The guys love competing. They love playing. That’s what it’s all about.”

Tucker was blunt.

“As players, you just look at each other and whoever we got out there, that’s who we’re going with and we’re going to go out and fight,” Tucker said. “Like to me, all that other stuff goes out the window and it comes down to being able to go out and give the effort every play, lay it on the line, and go out there and take it, because tonight, that’s what Atlanta did. They took it.”

Can the Bucks do the same?