MILWAUKEE (AP) — Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 23 points and the Atlanta Hawks beat the slumping Milwaukee Bucks 131-113 on Wednesday night for their fifth straight win and above .500 for the first time since December.
Atlanta (32-31) improved to 15-12 after a win over Philadelphia on Dec. 14, but the Hawks lost their next seven games and haven’t posted a winning record since.
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Onyeka Okongwu scored 21 points and Jalen Johnson added 20 points and nine assists as the Hawks erased an early 16-point deficit. CJ McCollum scored 18 points and Dyson Daniels had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The Hawks defeated the Bucks 65-42 in the second half.
Atlanta was without Jonathan Kuminga with left knee inflammation, while Milwaukee was without Kevin Porter Jr. with swelling in his right knee.
Milwaukee (26-35) is five games behind 10th-place Atlanta in the Eastern Conference standings, putting the Bucks’ bid for a 10th consecutive playoff berth in serious jeopardy. The Bucks have lost their past four games by a combined 97 points.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 24 points for the Bucks in his second game back from five weeks with a strained right calf. Daniels’ shot extended Atlanta’s lead to 121-103 with 4:20 left in the game and he received a technical foul for throwing the ball into a post in frustration.
Ryan Rollins contributed 13 points and 12 assists for the Bucks. Kyle Kuzma had 16 points in two nights on the bench in a 108-81 loss to the Boston Celtics.
Milwaukee led 71-66 in the first half, with both teams shooting at least 60 percent from the field. But the Bucks then went cold, scoring only 2 points in the first 5 minutes and 56 seconds of the third quarter.
Atlanta scored the first 10 points of the third quarter to take the lead for good.
Next
Eagles: Host the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.
Bucks: Host Utah Jazz on Saturday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
