Milwaukee vs. Atlanta: Hawks Secure Victory Over Bucks, 121-106

The Bucks would lose for the first time this season at Fiserv Forum, as they fell to the visiting Atlanta Hawks by a score of 121-106.

In the first quarter, it’d be Jevon Carter and MarJon Beauchamp who provided some sparks to the Milwaukee offense. Carter would tally seven points in the opening frame with Beauchamp checking in with six. However, Deandre Hunter’s nine points helped put Atlanta in front after one, 29-24.

The Bucks would keep doing their best to chip away, but efficiency just couldn’t be found — even with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the floor. They just were unable to gather any traction. Add in a few Trae Young threes for Atlanta and you had a 63-50 double-digit lead for the visitors at the break.

Things really started to slip away for Milwaukee early in the third. A timeout would be used by Mike Budenholzer just under five minutes into the quarter, as the Hawks opened up an 18 point advantage. The Bucks would slice and dice their way to eliminate some of Atlanta’s lead, but the Hawks always had an answer. Moving into the final quarter of regulation, the Bucks found themselves down by 14, 94-80.

However, at that point, things were simply too much for the Bucks. Despite all their best efforts, nothing they did proved to be enough. The Hawks just had too much going for them. They ended up putting the Bucks to bed by a final score of 121-106.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for the Bucks, going for 27 points on 8-of-21 shooting. MarJon Beauchamp earned the start and put in a respectable outing, registering 20 points.

De’Andre Hunter was the lead man for Atlanta, rattling home 24 points. Trae Young poured in 21 of his own.

The Bucks will now face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers this Wednesday at Fiserv Forum.

Three Observations

MarJon Beauchamp held his own in his start.

Yet again, we saw MarJon Beauchamp get the nod in the starting lineup, as Bud continues to throw him in the deep end. He responded quite well to the challenge, finishing his night with a well-rounded 20 point effort. He’d sink several threes on the night in addition to some flashes of athleticism at multiple points throughout the night (scroll down to see those moments). The Bucks haven’t had this flashy of a first-round pick in a long time, so this has been quite refreshing for Bucks fans to see.

Milwaukee couldn’t buy a 3-point shot.

At times where the Bucks seemed to show signs of life, the Hawks always had an answer. A large reason of that was due to Milwaukee’s porous 3-point shooting. They’d go just 6-of-29 in that department of the box score. Only three players connected on a three (Beauchamp, Nwora, and Ibaka). It showed just how deflating it can be when that’s the case. You scratch and claw your way back and you can taste the momentum tilting your way, but are just unable to get over the hump. The Bucks will hope for kinder rims Wednesday against the Cavaliers.

The Bucks need to be more aggressive.

If you’re thinking that the Bucks were too generous with their passes and if you were screaming at them to shoot it, you weren’t the only one thinking that. Here’s what Mike Budenholzer had to say about that postgame:

This is something that has been shown in previous games. I think it may come down to unselfishness, as that is a characteristic of many players on this team. We all know how much of Bud’s philosophy is to let it fly, so expect the threes to be flying Wednesday night against the Cavs.

Bonus Bucks Bits

• That was a fun lineup of Jevon Carter, Grayson Allen, MarJon Beauchamp, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Brook Lopez. Always exciting to see something new like that.
• It was a rough game for Bobby Portis. He didn’t seem to have the same impact he typically does. He did finish with 14 points, but went 0-for-5 from deep.
• MarJon had a very nifty behind-the-back pass at one point. Also, talking about assists, how about this one from Giannis?

• At this point, the Bucks are just dropping like flies. They need their players back because spoiler: It’s tough to win in this league without your best players.
• In the first half, Giannis twisted his ankle and was down on the floor:

• Here’s video of that moment:

• Let’s finish this up with some MarJon Beauchamp highlights:

He’s becoming quite fun to watch.