Hawks 107, Bucks 100: Second-half comeback falls short
Atlanta - Mirza Teletovic helped spark a strong second-half comeback with his outside shooting, but the Milwaukee Bucks fell short in a 107-100 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night at Philips Arena.
The Bucks trailed by 24 points early in the third quarter but could not erase the entire deficit despite a spirited second-half effort.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks (5-5) with 26 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists, and Jabari Parker added 23 points and eight rebounds. Teletovic added 14 points, including nine on three triples in the second half.
BOX SCORE: Hawks 107, Bucks 100
Atlanta won its sixth straight game and improved to 9-2 behind Paul Millsap's 21 points and 16 from Mike Muscala, who filled in at center for the injured Dwight Howard. Six Hawks players scored in double figures and Atlanta shot 48.6% from the field and converted 27 of 31 free throws.
"In the second half we won both quarters," Antetokounmpo said. "We couldn't make the ball fall in the second quarter. We scored just nine points. It was hard to recover.
"In the second half, we were moving the ball and we had open looks. The shooters came in and spaced the floor for us really well. Jabari had open looks and drives at the rim. We didn't stop fighting. When you come back from that big (a deficit), you want to get the game."
The Bucks outscored the Hawks, 65-55, in the second half but it wasn't enough to erase a 17-point halftime deficit.
Teletovic heated up early in the fourth quarter, sinking 3 three-pointers in first 3 minutes to quickly trim Atlanta's lead to 87-81. That put the Bucks back in the game and they stayed close. But a 29-foot bomb from Kyle Korver and two clutch baskets by Millsap in the final 2 minutes allowed the Hawks to hang on to their lead.
"A lot of young teams fold and might not come back like that," Teletovic said. "But these guys are fighters. It was a tough loss but Atlanta is an experienced team. They've been together for a long time. We definitely are getting there."
The Bucks held a 26-21 lead after the first quarter but the Hawks went on a 19-0 run to open the second quarter to grab a commanding 40-26 lead. Miles Plumlee finally stopped the run when he converted a three-point play after making a hook shot and getting fouled.
Milwaukee went scoreless for 6 minutes 18 seconds as the Hawks took control.
Atlanta led at halftime, 52-35, after outscoring the Bucks, 31-9, in the second quarter. The Hawks boosted the margin to 59-35 when they scored the first seven points of the third quarter.
"I thought the guys kept playing, understanding the game was two different halves," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. "It was definitely a character game for a young team to come back and put themselves in that position on the road. With 4 minutes left, it was anybody's ball game."
The Bucks went on an 8-0 run in the third quarter to trim their deficit to 66-53, sparked by three-pointers from Matthew Dellavedova and Tony Snell.
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Atlanta responded but a three-point play by Parker and two baskets by Antetokounmpo in the final minute of the quarter cut the Bucks' deficit to 84-70 entering the fourth period. Parker scored 15 points in the quarter on 7-of-8 shooting. Then Teletovic went to work to open the fourth quarter.
"It really helped us," Parker said. "Me and G (Antetokounmpo) did a good job going to the basket, but when we find guys, that makes us hard to guard.
"When we're able to work inside out, it's a beautiful thing, especially with Mirza and Tony."
Milwaukee closed within 97-92 on a three-pointer by Snell with 4:41 left, but Korver countered with his deep three-pointer to give Atlanta a 100-92 lead.
A driving layup by Parker brought the Bucks within 102-96 with 1:24 remaining and they closed within four on a dunk by Antetokounmpo. But Millsap scored on a floater with 22.8 seconds left to put Atlanta ahead, 104-98.
Millsap chuckled when asked about being asked to guard Antetokounmpo late in the game.
"You just accept the challenge," he said. "I love this team; I love the fight we have. Everybody is competitive. Everybody wants to win and that's great.
"They're a tough team. They've got some young guys out there who can get up and down the court and get above the rim. They kept attacking relentlessly.
"You can see the sky is the limit for those two guys (Parker and Antetokounmpo). They definitely haven't reached their potential yet and they're still out there getting numbers and helping their team."
THREE TAKEAWAYS
1. Plumlee's early season woes continue. He played 5 first-half minutes and struggled while scoring three points and grabbing three rebounds. He is hesitating rather than playing with abandon as he did last season.
2. No Dwight? No matter. Mike Muscala stepped in at the center spot and did just fine, finishing with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists in a season-high 33 minutes. "At the beginning, I was pretty winded," Muscala said. "Once I caught my second wind, I was all right."
3. Teletovic sparked the Bucks' fourth-quarter comeback with his long-range shooting, but he was short on a three-pointer and called for an offensive foul with the Bucks trailing by six in the final minutes. He was 4 for 9 from three-point distance and played 26 minutes. "It's a rhythm thing," Teletovic said. "Shooters need to be out there to catch their rhythm."
UP NEXT
Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (5-5) vs. Miami Heat (2-8).
When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
Where: AmericanAirlines Arena.
About the Heat: Hassan Whiteside grabbed an NBA season-best 25 rebounds against the Hawks on Tuesday, but the Heat dropped a 93-90 decision at home. Miami has lost five in a row and is going through a tough transition period after Dwyane Wade’s departure for the Chicago Bulls in free agency.