The longest winning streak in the NBA was not going to end today.
The Milwaukee Bucks were without Giannis Antetokounmpo today, and they were up against the hottest team in the NBA. The Atlanta Hawks kept things rolling today with a win over Milwaukee, leading for much of the way and never in any real danger to lose the game.
So what stood out about the win?
The Good
A win is always good and with this win, the Hawks win the season series against the Bucks and remain in the hunt for the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Hawks swiped 10 steals in tonight’s victory, notching their 32nd game of the season with 10+ thefts, the second-most such games in the Eastern Conference this season and the fourth-most in the NBA, improving to 23-9 when recording double-digit thefts. Atlanta grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, marking a season-long 11 straight games grabbing 10+ offensive boards, tied for the fourth-longest active such streak in the NBA. Since the All-Star break, the Hawks are averaging 13.6 offensive rebounds, the fourth-most in the league over that time.
CJ McCollum tallied a game-high 30 points on 10-18 shooting, including 7-10 from deep, to go along with three rebounds, two assists and one steal in 27 minutes of play, marking his fourth game of the season scoring 30-or-more points. McCollum notched his 24th career game with at least seven makes from deep, tied for the seventh-most such games amongst all active players.
Jalen Johnson tallied 23 points, on 10-20 shooting, to go along with 10 rebounds and 12 assists in 35 minutes of play, marking his 12th triple-double of the season and the 14th of his career … Johnson’s 12 triple-doubles are the second-most in the NBA this season, trailing only Nikola Jokic (26).
Nickeil Alexander-Walker tallied 20 points on 7-14 shooting, including shooting 3-7 from beyond the arc, to go along with three rebounds, three steals and one block in 34 minutes of play, marking his 35th game of the season with at least 20 points, the most such games in a single season in his career.
The Virginia Tech product secured his career-best 36th straight game scoring in double figures, marking his 62nd double-digit scoring outing of the season, the fourth-most such games in the NBA and the most in a single season in his career. In his last five games, Alexander-Walker is averaging 22.8 points, 2.8 assists and 2.0 rebounds on .547% shooting, including .463% from deep.
Corey Kispert tallied 13 points on 4-7 shooting, to go along with four rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench, marking his 18th game of the season scoring 10-or-more points.
Dyson Daniels recorded eight points on 4-8 shooting in addition to seven rebounds, four assists and three steals in 29 minutes of play, marking his league-leading 41st multi-steal game of the season.
Jock Landale recorded 10 points on 5-7 shooting in addition to six rebounds in 17 minutes of action, marking his 34th game scoring in double-digits this season.
Hawks held the Bucks to 32% shooting from three.
Hawks outscored the Bucks 62-36 in the paint.
Atlanta had 24 second-chance points to Milwaukee’s six.
Atlanta finished with a 121.9 offensive rating and a 97.1 defensive rating
Atlanta forced 20 turnovers.
The Bad
Ryan Rollins recorded 22 points on 8-11 shooting, including 4-7 from deep, to go along with three rebounds, eight assists and two blocks in 31 minutes of play.
Kevin Porter Jr. tallied 18 points on 7-13 shooting to go along with seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals in 30 minutes of play.
Onyeka Okongwu struggled with foul trouble today and was largely ineffective on the offensive end, though it was not needed.