The Bucks snapped the Hawks' five-game winning streak on Friday in a humiliating fashion. Milwaukee blew Atlanta out, 107-77, on the road with a superb performance by Jared Dudley. Tonight, in Milwaukee, the Hawks regrouped and pulled out a hard fought 90-85 win, led by a great performance by point guard Jeff Teague.
The Hawks got off to a fast start and led, 21-10, at the end of the first quarter. Milwaukee ended up taking the lead in the second but trailed, 39-37, at halftime.
Both teams struggled to find their shooting stroke in the second half, but it did not stop Milwaukee from erasing a 12-point second half Hawks lead. The Bucks were up one in the fourth quarter, but Hawks point guard Jeff Teague drove to the basket at will and put up 10 points in the quarter to help Atlanta seal the win.
Jeff Teague led all scorers for the Hawks with 25 points and also added seven assists and eight rebounds. Teague was clutch from the costless throw line all night as he went 10-of-10. Al Horford added on another 20-point game to go along with nine rebounds.
Jared Dudley was the star for Milwaukee in their last matchup against Atlanta, but tonight it was Khris Middleton. He scored 21 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the three-point line.
The Atlanta Hawks' next test is on December 28th at home versus the Cleveland Cavaliers. The last matchup between these two teams resulted in a 29-point win by the Hawks in Cleveland. Both teams are 1-1 against each other this season. The Hawks are second in the East at 22-8. The Bucks continue to remain sixth in the East at 15-16 and will head to Charlotte on December 29th to take on the Hornets.