Mouhamed Gueye had his first career double-double to lead the short-handed Atlanta Hawks to a 115-110 win over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.
Gueye got a chance to play extended minutes since none of the four players Atlanta added at the trade deadline were available. Gueye scored a season-high 15 points along with career highs in rebounds (12) and blocks (four) to help the Hawks overcome a 21-point second-half deficit.
Gueye had two free throws and a dunk during a 6-0 stretch late in the fourth quarter that gave the Hawks a 112-105 lead with 1:49 left. Losing for the fifth time in six games, Milwaukee never got closer than four points.
Atlanta leads the season series 2-1. The teams play again in Atlanta on March 4.
Atlanta’s Trae Young added 24 points and seven assists and came up with a key steal with 34 seconds left. Dyson Daniels added 15 points and 10 assists, Onyeka Okongwu had 14 points and 12 rebounds and Vit Krejci contributed 11 points and 10 boards.
The Bucks played without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (left calf tightness) for the third straight game. They were led by Bobby Portis with 26 points and 15 rebounds and Damian Lillard with 23 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists. Gary Trent came off the bench to make five 3s and score 19. Kyle Kuzma had 12 points and seven rebounds in his Milwaukee debut.
The Hawks shot 52 percent from the field in the first quarter and took a 36-26 lead. Atlanta led 41-29 after Young’s 3-pointer at 10:02, only to have the Bucks outscore them 44-14 to take a 73-55 halftime lead.
Milwaukee led 76-55 in the third when the Hawks rode a 33-12 run to tie the game at 88-all. Atlanta regained the lead on Gueye’s turnaround at 1:09 and took a 92-90 lead into the fourth quarter.
Both teams complete a back-to-back on Saturday. Atlanta begins a three-game road trip at the Washington Wizards, while Milwaukee returns home to play the Philadelphia 76ers.
–Field Level Media
