The Atlanta Hawks suffered their fourth successive loss, and a loss at home on MLK Day on Monday afternoon in a closely fought 112-100 defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks. Nickeil Alexander-Walker led the Hawks’ charge in the fourth quarter, scoring 32 points. Jalen Johnson added 28 points and 16 rebounds. For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 21 points, and Bobby Portis scored 19 points.
Off the back of a massive loss against the Boston Celtics, the Hawks welcomed back Dyson Daniels and Luke Kennard to the rotation, while Hawks head coach Quin Snyder made an additional change to the starting lineup by inserting Corey Kispert in place of — the struggling of late — Vit Krejci. CJ McCollum, meanwhile, returned to the bench with Daniels returning.
The story of the first, undoubtedly was the Hawks’ struggles shooting the three-pointer, missing their first 21 attempts from distance — basically going through the entire first half without making a three before McCollum made the Hawks’ first three with 27 seconds remaining in the first half.
The Hawks have looked leggy on jump shots of late — which, they hope, will be helped by a lighter schedule coming up — and Monday afternoon was no exception. Some of these shots they were unlucky not to see go down — the Hawks worked their opportunities well in the first half but had almost nothing to show for it.
The Hawks, finally, found their feet shooting the three-pointer in the second half, but did so as the Bucks — and Myles Turner — briefly found their own form shooting three, keeping the lead around 20 points in the beginning stages of the third quarter. A 10-0 run brought the Milwaukee lead down to 13 points, before an 18-4 run brought the lead below single digits — hope had returned. The Bucks looked as though they had stabilized in the fourth quarter, taking a 13-point lead in the early exchanges in the fourth quarter after a Kevin Porter Jr. and-one.
An Alexander-Walker brought the Milwaukee lead down to nine points with 6:57 remaining (leading to a timeout), and from this point forward it was the Alexander-Walker and McCollum show. Alexander-Walker would take the starring role, igniting for five threes in the fourth quarter, and his shot-making was instrumental to the Atlanta comeback.
McCollum chipped in too and, starting from that 6:57 mark on that Alexander-Walker three, combined with Alexander-Walker to score the next 24 points the Hawks scored — finally broken by a three from Jalen Johnson with 1:10 remaining (from which point forward, normal service was resumed between Alexander-Walker and McCollum).
These baskets from Alexander-Walker (especially) and McCollum brought the Hawks back within the game, and Atlanta faithful was rewarded with a clutch game down the stretch. Let’s look at how it unfolded and where the game was lost on this occasion.
Down four points with just over two and a half minutes remaining, Alexander-Walker continues his fourth quarter effort by coming off of a pin down set by Onyeka Okongwu, coming around the screen, receiving the ball, and rising into the three:
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A good switch by Porter Jr. here to get a good contest. It’s just an even better shot by Alexander-Walker, and a good screen from Okongwu to facilitate it.
On the probe by Porter Jr., Dyson Daniels does an excellent job defensively to get through the Antetokounmpo screen and contest the shot, forcing the Milwaukee miss, and now, giving the Hawks a chance to take the lead:
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Just brilliant on-ball defense from Daniels, especially to get through the screen and stay with Porter Jr.
After two missed free throws by Johnson — denying a great opportunity to give the Hawks their first lead since the first half — and a missed shot by Antetokounmpo, the Hawks take the lead thanks to made free throws from McCollum. This was short-lived, as the threat of the Antetokounmpo screen (which he slips) puts Daniels behind the play, and forces McCollum to switch from Green to Porter Jr. Daniels switches to Green, but it’s not enough to prevent Green draining his sixth three of the game:
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It’s a well worked play from the Bucks, and the slip from Antetokounmpo really puts Daniels behind the play, who likely expected having to go around the stationary Antetokounmpo on the screen.
The Milwaukee lead itself was, briefly, short-lived, as McCollum draws the Bucks’ defense in the corner and kicks the ball out to Johnson above the break, who rises into the three to give the Hawks a 105-104 lead with 1:11 remaining:
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It’s a good job by McCollum, operating in a tight space in the corner — with Daniels keeping Porter Jr. close-by — and another shot that is well contested by Porter Jr. Just another better shot made by the Hawks, in this case, by Jalen Johnson.
The Bucks would trade another blow to the Hawks’ newly found lead, with the Bucks using the threat of the two-man between Antetokounmpo and Green (which yielded a lot of success in this game) to open up an avenue offensively. In this case, the threat of a Green three prompts McCollum to chase around the screen to cover Green opens up the roll for Antetokounmpo. When Porter Jr. slips the pass to his roller, it prompts Johnson to slide over to plug the gap. This opens up Portis in the corner, and good use of a fake sends Johnson into the Hawks’ bench, while Portis hits the three to give the Bucks the lead once again:
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Portis is shooting over 47% from three this season; it’s hard to blame Johnson a ton for committing to the challenge on Portis here. Prior to that, the Bucks run the play exactly as they should through Giannis and Green — it was their most consistent avenue to score, and with Green shooting as he did in this game the Hawks couldn’t afford to be burned by another three from him.
Faced with a favorable switch onto Ryan Rollins, Johnson looks to take it to the chest of Rollins, but as he bounces into Rollins the force of the bump knocks the ball loose and picked up by Antetokounmpo, who pushes the ball in transition and finishes at the rim to give the Bucks a four point lead with 36 seconds remaining, and an Atlanta timeout:
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A tough break for Johnson, who on the last two possessions was sent to the shops by Portis for the three and then turns the ball over for a costly fastbreak basket (and, arguably, lucky not to be called for the foul on Antetokounmpo).
A tough, fading shot from McCollum at the rim out of the timeout brings the Hawks back within two, and once the Bucks get past half-court the fouling game begins. Kyle Kuzma hits both free throws to restore the four-point lead, and the Hawks take their final timeout. Out of which, Daniels (who was a threat for the Bucks inbounding the ball and then cutting), delivers the ball to Alexander-Walker back on the perimeter, who hits the three to bring the lead to one point:
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The play provided an insight to how the Hawks were willing to play this one out: everything rode on this three. A quick two — which Daniels could have driven to the rim — and the Hawks can still play the foul game. Missing the three would have ended the game there and then. Fortunately for the Hawks, Alexander-Walker had the hot hand, and he keeps the Hawks’ hope alive:
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A very quick foul on Ryan Rollins gives the Hawks plenty of time to get down the court — no matter how Rollins shoots from the line — and get a chance for a decent shot. Rollins splits the pair, meaning even just a two would give the Hawks a chance to send the game to overtime. Johnson inbounds the ball to McCollum, who brings the ball up the floor, gets stuck, stumbles, and puts up a tough shot which is missed, and the game comes to an empty end:
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It’s a horrible possession for McCollum, who had a good fourth quarter right up this point. He just gets stuck and has to find a way to get the ball anywhere, away from the situation he found himself in. For one of Johnson, or, especially, Alexander-Walker to not get the final shot is tough for the Hawks. Alas, this was the way of things, and the Hawks’ comeback from a terrible shooting half falls agonizingly short.
Asked about the final possession, Quin Snyder discussed that while the Hawks didn’t have a timeout these are scenarios they try to prepare for. Snyder was pleased with the Hawks’ spacing on the play and believed it just unfortunate that the ball was tipped away.
“We didn’t have any timeouts and those are situations you work on in practice, and it was one of the ones we had touched,” said Snyder of the final possession. “Really trust CJ with the ball and thought we got into a position where we were going to get a good shot: either he was going to get one or he was going to kick it out, and the ball just got tipped. It’s hard to fault. I should preface it by saying it’s not just one play, but we actually executed. Sometimes you do that and don’t get the right result, but the floor was open, we had guys spaced, JJ was on the trail. The ball just got tipped.”
Nickeil Alexander-Walker provided a more detailed perspective of the final play and his perspective of it, and how the play began to unravel before his eyes.
“The last play I know coach had a call,” began Alexander-Walker. “I was running to the corner to be prepared for said call. CJ was coming down. I was waiting for the action to begin. Based on the spacing, I was hesitant to continue just because I guess the live read was different from the call. It was just about me staying spaced and being ready. The help guy gambled — and I was kind of shocked that he did just with it being Corey, and usually in late game you want to stay as solid as you can be. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the shot we wanted.”
As Snyder mentioned, the Hawks losing this game went beyond this missed shot from McCollum. It’s hard to look anywhere else other than the Hawks’ first half shooting: 1-of-22 from three (0-of-21 to start). By the end of the first half, the Bucks had eight three-pointers (outscoring the Hawks 24-0 in that department) and led by 16 points. Despite this, Snyder was pleased with how the Hawks continued to play the right way on both ends of the floor.
“It was our whole team,” said Snyder of the Hawks’ shooting struggles. “I think we were 1-of-21 from three — we’re better shooters than that. We were getting great looks. It’s really easy when that happens to stop doing the things that got us those shots. You can lose your resolve to keep playing that way. That was a big topic for us at the half: ‘Let’s keep doing what we’re doing, eventually we’re going to make some shots.’ When we score 72 points in the second half, 33 assists on 39 field goals, that’s how we want to play. If some of those shots go in it’s a different ball-game. Those are the things that are hard to control: whether the ball goes in. What we can control is the kind of shots we’re getting, and we were getting great looks — we were open.
“Having said that, it’s very easy — when you’re not seeing the ball go in the basket — to let up, get frustrated, and it carries over to the defensive end. That didn’t happen either. Holding a team like that to what we did and just continuing to grind and play, in spite of the fact we were missing shots, gave us an opportunity to stay in the game until we did make some. This is one of the games you wish you got the affirmation of a win, but I think our guys took a big step as far as their connectivity and how we need to play. I thought we ran well, even late in the game, and a couple of shots that went in that Milwaukee shot that you tip your hat — they’re not easy shots. What we take from this is how we play, if we continue to play that way the scoreboard will reflect it.”
“The good thing about it is we kept shooting, despite all the misses,” added Jalen Johnson. “That’s tough, and rare to go for 0-for-21, it’s unlike us. Sometimes, you’ve got to adjust. We came out in the second half and started making shots.”
The Hawks shot 11-of-20 from three in the second half, with Alexander-Walker shooting 5-of-6 from three in the fourth quarter alone, describing how the Hawks’ shooting would eventually even out. He also outlined his belief in how the Hawks’ energy and their approach to their play would be a dictating factor in the Hawks’ shooting and general play.
“It goes back to the law of averages of basketball and understanding the realities of the game,” said Alexander-Walker. “You’re not going to make shots all the time. Sometimes the ones that feel good miss, sometimes the ones that feel nasty go in somehow. That was the tale of the night, but we found a way to chip away at it. We understood a lot of shots we were getting were good shots. One thing I did learn and could feel: despite the shots going in or going out — whatever the game was giving us — our energy and mentality towards it will change everything. I feel the game follows the energy, and our energy changed our — I want to say — spirit, to a degree… You can feel it more in the second half than the first half. The first half, we were getting great looks. We make those shots, maybe it’s a different outcome. Nonetheless, woulda, coulda, shoulda.
“The main thing is our energy is what gave us a fighting chance, and we played through mistakes and the game went up and down, and they responded to our run. We threw another punch, and those are the things that carry on for the rest of the 37-something games (remaining in the season).”
The Hawks were unlucky in the first half, it must be said. They missed a lot of threes that on different nights would go in — to shoot 0-of-21 for, basically, an entire half is almost unheard of (
the Pacers came close this season, shooting 1-of-20 in a half). Despite these struggles shooting the three, there were some strong, solid individual games from the Hawks.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s game in the second half was transformative in this game. Often this season, Alexander-Walker has stepped up in the fourth quarter for the Hawks and Monday afternoon was another such example. Having begun the game 2-of-10 from three through three quarters, Alexander-Walker finished shooting 43% from three — an achievement given how he began shooting in this game. While Johnson hit a big three, and McCollum hit some tough shots too — his threes galvanized the Hawks in this game. Alexander-Walker finished with 32 points on 9-of-20 from the field, 7-of-16 from three, and 7-of-7 from the free throw line.
Alexander-Walker and McCollum went on a combined run in the fourth quarter, scoring 24 straight points between them, and the ever-insightful Alexander-Walker outlined the adjustment playing next to McCollum.
“I think it’s just about reading points of attack and playing off-ball with movement,” said Alexander-Walker. “I know in the first half I had drove, he had hit to me, set a screen, then I got stopped, he peeled off, I hit him, he was able to drive a close-out and get a layup — small things like that. The more we use our skillset and tools together, I feel it’s going to benefit us. There was times where it did, and it’s just about communication and learning CJ. He’s also learning us and what our system is and where he can be effective. I’m trying my best to be better at communicating. The tough thing it is (me) being in year 7, and him being in year 13/14 — I’m not trying to come off as the guy that’s talking down to someone who has done this before, but still having that open communication and saying ‘Hey, trust me,’ or ‘What do you see here?’ Just getting the feel.”
I believe this is the play Alexander-Walker is referring to:
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As the relationship grows, there’ll probably be times where McCollum is able to recognize Alexander-Walker’s movement to the corner and find him there when the layup isn’t as open as it was in this instance.
During an interview prior to the game, McCollum himself promised Peacock that he would shoot better in this game, and he did. McCollum scored 17 points on 5-of-11 from the field, 2-of-4 from three, and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. If Johnson’s missed free throws are something that is remembered from this game, there’s a whole different bracket for McCollum’s final possession of the game. Irrespective of the fact there was no timeout available, it was a bad possession that fell in McCollum’s hands, and a costly one — but a better game overall.
Johnson’s contributions to this game were, by no means, small, scoring 28 points on 11-of-24 from the field, 3-of-6 from three, 16 rebounds, and six assists. It was good to see Johnson be a little more forceful attacking the rim in this game; the Boston game was tough for many reasons, one of them being that between all the Boston makes, the Hawks couldn’t get out and run. Johnson was able to do that a little more in this game and also find his feet with three-pointer in this game.
“JJ just continued to play,” said Snyder of Johnson’s shooting. “He missed a couple early on that he can make, and he didn’t get discouraged at all.”
It’s hard not to think about Johnson missing those two free throws in the fourth quarter, which would have given the Hawks their first lead since the first half (McCollum would right this wrong moments later to give the Hawks the lead). In a game as close as this was down the stretch, those moments can go a long way.
Dyson Daniels had a solid return to action: 17 points on 8-of-16 from the field to go with nine rebounds, 10 assists, and three steals. Daniels was excellent defensively, and he was able to get on the offensive glass in the first quarter for some put-backs, and some great cuts in this game too. That said, it’s so hard to ignore his three-point shooting — the Bucks were more than happy to let him shoot, and even though there were possessions where Daniels could have shot the three (kicking it to another teammate instead, there were also possessions where he was so open that he had no choice but to shoot it, and he missed his two attempts.
Daniels last made a three on December 14th, and has missed his last 19 attempts from three when he has shot.
Late in the game, Snyder made the ‘offense-defense’ switch for the last possession of the game, and it was Kispert to come in for Daniels. It’s just tough that it’s come to this — perhaps after the season there’ll be an explanation behind Daniels’ incredible regression from three. He’s really solid everywhere else — and great defensively — but it’s difficult from three.
Still, pretty good games from those three players, led by the efforts of Alexander-Walker.
“We had a number of guys, from a statistical standpoint, had good numbers but I also thought that none of them were thinking that way when they were playing,” said Snyder. “They were connected, and those things happen naturally when you’re playing as a team and playing the way we want…”
Onyeka Okongwu had a difficult game: four points on 0-of-6 shooting from the field and 0-of-4 from three, scoring all four of his points from the free throw line — just a difficult game for Okongwu, his hook shots just weren’t falling, and he wasn’t able to get deep enough inside, nor get amongst the offensive rebounding for his own offense, but did help contribute for others with his four offensive rebounds.
Corey Kispert didn’t add a whole lot more than Vit Krejci in the starting lineup, scoring two points on 1-of-4 shooting and 0-of-3 from three in (…drumroll!) 20 minutes — that magical 18-22-ish minutes for the starting small forward spot. A return to the bench did not solve Krejci’s shooting struggles, shooting 0-of-6 from the field and three — now shooting 14-of-49 from three (28.6%)
in the month of January.
All in all, a solid comeback from a 23-point hole and a 0-of-21 start from three. Alexander-Walker was excellent in the second half (28 of his 32 points coming in the second half), Johnson was much more impactful than he has been lately, and Dyson Daniels was solid too. The Hawks executed well down the stretch, but that three from Portis followed by the Johnson turnover put the Hawks on the back foot, and when Alexander-Walker gave the Hawks a chance to tie or win the game, the last possession was an unfortunate dud.
The Hawks (20-25) are now on a four-game losing streak and head to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies (18-23) on Wednesday night. The game is Memphis’ first game back on home soil since their games in Berlin and London — perhaps a good time as any to play a Grizzlies side adjusting back to a vastly different time zone.
Until next time!
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Kennard 
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