MILWAUKEE — — Nickell-Alexander-Walker scored 23 points and the Atlanta Hawks defeated the struggling Milwaukee Bucks 131-113 on Wednesday night, winning their fifth straight game and moving above .500 for the first time since December.
Atlanta (32-31) is 15-12 after one game. Victory on December 14th They beat Philadelphia, but the Hawks lost. next 7 games It hasn’t had a winning record since then.
Onyeka Okongwu scored 21 points and Jalen Johnson added 20 points and nine assists as the Hawks erased an early 16-point deficit. CJ McCollum had 18 points and Dyson Daniels had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The Hawks defeated the Bucks 65-42 in the second half.
Atlanta was without Jonathan Kuminga due to inflammation in his left knee, and Milwaukee was without Kevin Porter Jr. due to swelling in his right knee.
Milwaukee (26-35) fell five games behind 10th place Atlanta in the Eastern Conference standings, putting the Bucks’ bid for a 10th consecutive playoff berth in serious jeopardy. The Bucks have lost their last four games by a combined 97 points.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 24 points in his second game with the Bucks. After returning from right calf tightness He missed five weeks because of it. After Daniels’ basket with 4:20 left extended Atlanta’s lead to 121-103, he received a technical foul for throwing the ball into the post in frustration.
Ryan Rollins had 13 points and 12 assists for the Bucks. Kyle Kuzma scored 16 points after two nights. Lost 108-81 To the Boston Celtics on the bench.
After a first half in which both teams shot at least 60 percent from the floor, Milwaukee led 71-66. But the Bucks went ice cold after that, scoring just two points in the first 5 minutes, 56 seconds of the third quarter.
Atlanta scored the first 10 points in the third game to take the lead for good.
Hawks: Host the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.
Bucks: Host the Utah Jazz on Saturday.
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