Bucks at Hawks
THE STORY: The All-Star break and the return of leading scorer Joe Johnson did little to help to help the Atlanta Hawks snap out of their offensive malaise. Maybe the sight of the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night will provide a spark for Atlanta. The Hawks absorbed an 85-82 home loss to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. It was the fourth defeat in an ugly five-game stretch in which Atlanta has failed to surpass 83 points. The Hawks have won 10 of their last 12 home meetings with the Bucks.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSWI
ABOUT THE BUCKS (14-21): Milwaukee lost for the seventh time in nine games Wednesday, falling at Boston 102-96. F Ersan Ilyasova continued his stellar play with 25 points and 10 rebounds – his fifth double-double in six games since he was inserted into the starting lineup. He is averaging 18.5 points and 12.5 boards during that span. Drew Gooden bounced back from a hard fall in Tuesday's game to score 23 points, but Atlanta's backcourt tandem of Brandon Jennings and Shaun Livingston combined for only 10 points.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (20-15): Despite getting double-doubles from three players in the loss to Golden State, Atlanta closed out the month of February with a 4-9 overall record and 2-5 mark at home. Johnson missed the final two games prior to the All-Star break with a sore knee, and admitted he was not 100 percent Wednesday. He finished with 18 points on 6-of-17 shooting. Johnson reached 20 points only once last month and struggled from behind the arc, connecting on 15 of 57 attempts in 11 games.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Atlanta signed veteran C Erick Dampier for the rest of the season after his second 10-day contract expired.
2. Milwaukee has allowed three straight opponents to eclipse 100 points, allowing an average of 110 in that span.
3. The Hawks won at Milwaukee 97-92 on Jan. 23 behind 28 points from Johnson.