The Atlanta Hawks defeated Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks 121-106 on Monday night, led by De’Andre Hunter’s 24 points and Trae Young’s 21 points and nine assists.
Clint Capela had 19 points and ten rebounds as Atlanta won its sixth game in a row. Dejounte Murray added 19 points, and John Collins had 16 points and nine rebounds.
“I felt our guards did an excellent job setting the tempo and forcing them to work on defense,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan said. “We didn’t give up anything easily on defense.”
Antetokounmpo scored 27 points in 31 minutes after missing the previous two games and three of the last four due to left knee pain. Following a 9-0 start, the Bucks have dropped three of four games.
Antetokounmpo shot 8 of 21 from the field, missing all three 3-point tries, and was 11 of 18 at the line. Antetokounmpo admitted that his first game back was a little rusty.
“How long since my previous game—say, six, seven, or a week ago?”
Antetokounmpo stated. “But that’s only part of it.” You must go high enough. It’s a component of it. You can’t expect to be at your best after not playing for a week.”
Atlanta led 94-80 going into the fourth quarter. With 3:12 remaining, Milwaukee scored eight consecutive points to trim the lead to 108-99. With 1:35 remaining, Antetokounmpo fouled out, and Murray scored both free throws to make it 116-101.
“They get the ball moving. They have a lot of capable one-on-one guys,” Antetokounmpo added. “Decent scorers and shooters.”
It was the third time the teams had met in 16 days. The Bucks suffered their first-season setback a week ago in Atlanta.
“Their scoring was pretty well distributed tonight,” observed Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer. “They’ve beaten us in various ways. The guards have had successful nights. There was a lot of balance tonight.”
The Bucks, who had won seven straights at home, were led by Marjon Beauchamp’s 20 points.
In the first half, Atlanta made 34 baskets in the paint to take a 63-50 lead into halftime. The Hawks shot 56.3% in the first half, while the Bucks shot 39.5% and were only 3 of 14 from beyond the arc.
“I immediately realized that going against a team like that, we had to be the aggressor,” Capela said. “In defense, I believe it is my responsibility to set the tone.”