Giannis Antetokounmpo had his way with the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday night, as the Milwaukee Bucks held off a late run that ignited in at the end of the fourth to claim a 135-127 win at State Farm Arena.
The reigning MVP finished with 33 points and 11 rebounds.
“I don’t think anyone has an answer for him,” Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce said. “The biggest thing is: if you don’t show him a crowd early, you’re in trouble.”
It wasn’t just the Greek Freak who did well, as the whole team played great. The Bucks shot 52.9% from the field, 39.5% from three and 76.5% from the free-throw line.
Aside from Antetokounmpo, guard Eric Bledsoe thrived in his 25 minutes, contributing 28 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. On the other hand, he coughed the ball up six times, so that was a positive for the Hawks.
Other positives included De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish. The rookies finally had another solid showing together, as they look to continue their developments in the league.
Trae Young acknowledged the hard work of the two rookies after the game.
“It’s just going and getting shots up,” Young said. “They’ve been doing that. They’ve both been working on their game and it showed tonight.”
Hunter, the fourth overall pick in this past year’s NBA draft, set new career highs with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Reddish pitched in an efficient 17 points. The two combined to go 6-for-6 from three as well, silencing anyone who questioned their shooting.
What’s more, Atlanta shared the ball. They had 27 assists on 44 made shots and made over 45% of their three-pointers.
But at the end of the day, it was the same narrative that has haunted them much of the year. The team had to fight harder than they should’ve to even make the game close. However, they’ll take this one and put it behind them.
The Hawks travel to Detroit to take on Blake Griffin and the Pistons Friday at 7:00 pm before returning to defend home court the following night against the defending champion Toronto Raptors.
