MILWAUKEE (AP) — Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 23 points and the Atlanta Hawks defeated the slumping Milwaukee Bucks 131-113 on Wednesday night to win their fifth straight game and move above .500 for the first time since December.
Atlanta (32-31) was 15-12 after a Dec. 14 victory over Philadelphia, but the Hawks lost their next seven games and hadn’t owned a winning record since.
Onyeka Okongwu had 21 points and Jalen Johnson added 20 points and nine assists as the Hawks erased an early 16-point deficit. CJ McCollum scored 18 points, while Dyson Daniels had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The Hawks outscored the Bucks 65-42 in the second half.
Atlanta didn’t have Jonathan Kuminga available due to inflammation in his left knee, while Milwaukee was missing Kevin Porter Jr. because of 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 straight playoff berth in serious jeopardy. The Bucks have lost their last four games by a combined 97 points.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 24 points for the Bucks in his second game since returning from a right calf strain that caused him to miss five weeks. He received a technical foul for throwing the ball against the stanchion in frustration after a basket by Daniels extended Atlanta’s lead to 121-103 with 4:20 left.
Ryan Rollins had 13 points and 12 assists for the Bucks. Kyle Kuzma scored 16 two nights after spending an entire 108-81 loss to the Boston Celtics on the bench.
Milwaukee led 71-66 after a first half in which each team shot at least 60% from the floor. But the Bucks then went ice cold, scoring just two points in the first 5:56 of the third quarter.
Atlanta pulled ahead for good by scoring the first 10 points of the third.
Up next
Hawks: Host the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.
Bucks: Host the Utah Jazz on Saturday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
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