Hawks at Bucks
Eastern Conference playoff hopefuls heading in opposite directions meet Friday night when the reeling Atlanta Hawks look to stop the bleeding at the Milwaukee Bucks. The Hawks have dropped five in a row and, coupled with the Bucks' recent 10-2 surge, enter this one with just a one-game lead on Milwaukee and Indiana for fifth place in the East.
The first four setbacks during Atlanta's slide came by an average of 12.8 points but it struggled in a rare close one Wednesday at Washington, allowing 37 fourth-quarter points and falling 104-100. "In general, we had too many turnovers tonight," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters after his team gave it up 16 times. "We have to take care of the ball. It felt like a couple times we settled for average shots. We didn't keep attacking." Forward Paul Millsap (knee) is expected to miss his fourth straight game for Atlanta, which won the first three encounters with Milwaukee but all before the Bucks turned things around. Giannis Antetokounmpo tallied 32 points and 13 rebounds to lead Milwaukee to a 116-98 win at Sacramento on Wednesday and cap an impressive 4-2 road trip.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBA TV, FSN Southeast (Atlanta), FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
ABOUT THE HAWKS (37-34): Point guard Dennis Schroder had 10 of his team's 16 turnovers in Wednesday's loss - a career high - and is shooting 34.1 percent from the floor during the losing streak. "We, or I, have to close out the game better," Schroder told reporters after the loss. "Take care of the ball and make better decisions. I hurt my team." So, too, did power forward Ersan Ilyasova, who battled foul trouble and finished with five points, his fifth single-digit effort in the past seven games.
ABOUT THE BUCKS (36-35): Antetokounmpo also had six assists, two steals and a block as he continues to lead the league's hottest team while relishing the intensity of the stretch run. "We're chasing right now, so there's no pressure," Antetokounmpo told the media Wednesday. "We were 11th and now we're (tied for) sixth. We'll keep chasing and try to get even higher. We're having fun right now and playing good basketball." The "Greek Freak" is averaging 24 points while shooting 54 percent at home this season.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Hawks G Kent Bazemore (knee) missed two games in a row and will be re-evaluated in about a week.
2. Bucks G Khris Middleton made 8-of-11 3-pointers in the final three contests on the road trip.
3. Atlanta won four straight meetings and seven of the past nine.