Looking to end a nine-game losing skid, the Milwaukee Bucks host the local star Jalen Johnson and his Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night.
Coming off his first All-Star campaign, Johnson, a Milwaukee-area native, has hit the ground running again. The sixth-year forward is averaging 20 points, 8.8 rebounds and 7.5 assists.
When the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade reports heated up and Atlanta’s interest was rumored, Bucks fans thought there may be a chance to see the young hometown star come home for a new player to build around.
Johnson, though, was too valuable an asset for Atlanta to part with for the potential of a one-year rental of Antetokounmpo. Milwaukee instead got a haul of players from the Miami Heat, and the Hawks have Johnson locked up through the 2029-30 season.
It’s been a streaky start for his Hawks, who come in off two straight close losses including a 125-117 loss in overtime at Chicago on Friday.
Johnson’s triple-double with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists led the Hawks along with 20 points off the bench from veteran CJ McCollum. It took the Hawks coming back in the second half to even the score.
“I think we didn’t play with force at the beginning of the game, and that impacts our defense,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “We know the things we need to have in the front of our minds to focus on, and when we don’t do that, we don’t play well.”
Prior to those two losses, the Hawks had a four-game win streak and early in the season lost three straight, including two consecutive games against Houston.
Milwaukee, meanwhile, is the only team remaining in the Eastern Conference with just one victory, falling to the Orlando Magic in NBA Cup play 107-99 on Friday. They also fell to 0-6 on the road.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. led off the bench with 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. Tyler Herro had 18, though he shot 5-for-17.
“We were double-digits behind, had a little resilience in response,” Bucks coach Taylor Jenkins said. “We’ve got to play with more force early in the game, have to play perfect for 48 minutes right now.”
Herro leads Milwaukee averaging 21.6 points and 4.3 assists per game with Jaquez behind him in scoring at 16.5. Kel’el Ware has struggled to get going offensively for Milwaukee but leads the team averaging 6.5 rebounds.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker has continued his ascent with his new team in Atlanta, edging out Johnson for the lead in scoring at 21.5 points per night. Dyson Daniels leads the team, averaging nearly three steals a night.
On the injury front, Atlanta lost Kingston Flemings (back tightness) during the game on Friday, and he has been ruled out for Sunday. They’re also without Asa Newell (toe), Keshon Gilbert (knee), and Mouhamed Gueye (foot), who will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
Milwaukee’s injury report is clear of key players.
Last season, Atlanta took two of three from the Bucks, including the last two games they played. Overall, the Hawks are 5-3 against Milwaukee over the last two seasons.
–Field Level Media
