The Atlanta Hawks bested the Milwaukee Bucks, 121-106, and handed the once-removed NBA Champions their first loss of the season at Fiserv Forum on Monday night. This was the third time in 16 days these two teams matched-up, and the Hawks have now won two out of the three meetings.
After a rough start offensively in the last handful of games, Atlanta came out firing on all cylinders. De’Andre Hunter led the opening charge, shooting a perfect 4-4 from the field including a three for a quick nine points. He had the best game of his season finishing with 24 points and shooting 10-10 from the free throw line.
John Collins, who struggled the past few games, jumped into the pick-and-roll early, as the Hawks jumped out to a 15-7 lead. The Bucks countered with a 10-2 run, as Jevon Carter hurt the Hawks from mid-range to tie the game at 17. The Hawks played stifling defense on Giannis Antetokounmpo holding him to just five points in the opening frame. Atlanta rolled into the second quarter with a 29-24 lead.
Hawks coach, Nate McMillan, made a key change in the rotation, playing rookie sharpshooter A.J.
Griffin over Justin Holiday to provide a spark off the bench. The Hawks got out on the break in
the second quarter, with Jalen Johnson throwing down two thunderous dunks, including an and-
one slam over Bucks forward, Bobby Portis. Trae Young found his stroke from three, knocking down two from deep finishing the first half with 14 points. The Bucks went into the locker room down 63-50. This was the largest halftime deficit they faced this season.
Atlanta charged forward as they increased the lead to 74-56 forcing the Bucks into live ball turnovers. The Hawks forced the Bucks into 15 turnovers, and generated that into efficient offense, especially in the third quarter. The Hawks stood strong and held a lead till the final buzzer.
After Young’s hot start, he did cool off a bit in the second half, shooting 1-10 to finish with 21 points but still dishing out nine assists. Dejounte Murray continued to stuff the stat sheet with 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists. All five Hawks starters scored in double-digits, as Collins had 16 points and nine rebounds. Clint Capela continued his dominance in the paint, bringing his double-double streak to four games. He finished with 19 points, on 9-11 shooting and 10 rebounds, with seven offensive boards.
Capela and Onyeka Okongwu made it difficult for Antetokounmpo, who put up 27 points on just 8-21 shooting and eight rebounds. The Bucks’ superstar has an overall -45 plus/minus rating against the Hawks this season while owning a +104 against all other opponents.
Milwaukee rookie Marjon Beauchamp shot 7-9 from the field including 3-4 from three for 20 points. Brook Lopez chipped in 12 points, but only managed to grab five rebounds. Carter hurt the Hawks in the first half but was limited in the second, finishing with 12 points. Off the bench, Bobby Portis put up a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Jordan Nwora added 10 for Milwaukee.
This was a great bounce-back win for Atlanta after a beat down in Philadelphia. They
need to keep the momentum going to defeat the red-hot Boston Celtics at State Farm Arena on
Wednesday night. Boston owns a seven-game winning streak, but the Hawks intend to shatter
their run in the ATL.
