The Milwaukee Bucks try to repeat their competitive form tonight back at home against the Atlanta Hawks. Look, the Bucks are obviously not playing well and are on a nine-game losing streak, but this season will be about taking the small wins and worrying about process over results. Their last game against the Magic was a clear improvement over the previous four, and fans should hope they can repeat that effort tonight. I’m looking for effort, intensity, and stick-to-itiveness.
The Task Ahead
The Hawks have had an
underwhelming start to the year, sitting at 7-6. In terms of their recent form, they oh-so-nearly lost to the Nets (yes, the Nets), then dropped their next games to the Lakers and, surprisingly, the Bulls. So why have the Hawks underwhelmed? A key reason has been Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who has yet to rediscover last season’s Most Improved Player-winning form. After trading Trae Young in the middle of last year, the Hawks turned to Alexander-Walker to replace his production, which he did and then some. Unfortunately for Hawks fans, NAW has had a rough start to the 2026-27 campaign, shooting his worst field-goal percentage in three seasons at 40.8%. Moreover, his three-point shooting has dropped to 35.0%, down from the near-40% mark he had been at. Additionally, Wisconsin native and one-time All-Star Jalen Johnson has also struggled, shooting just 19.0% (!) from deep. The Hawks will be hoping to use tonight’s contest as a get-right game for these two in particular, and the Bucks can’t let that happen.
Injury Report
Bucks:
- Ousmane Dieng: Out (finger)
- Bogoljub Markovic (G League assignment)
Hawks:
- Kingston Flemings: Out (back)
- Keshon Gilbert: Out (knee)
- Mouhamed Gueye: Out (foot)
- Asa Newell: Out (toe)
- Henri Veesar: Out (ACL)
Player to Watch
Brayden Burries quickly moved into the starting lineup for the Bucks and immediately made an impact, averaging 13.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 3.5 APG across his first four starts. In those contests, he averaged 11.8 shot attempts per game. However, in the three games since, those numbers have dropped to 4.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 2.3 APG on just 5.7 shot attempts per game. While it’s good that Burries isn’t forcing questionable shots like some of his veteran teammates, it does feel he’s being a bit too passive at times. Part of this comes down to role—Burries is being played out of position at the point (which will likely have long-term benefits)—but part of it is on him, perhaps placing too much emphasis on running the action and prioritising ball security at the cost of aggressiveness. Tonight, then, pay particular attention to how assertive he is. This doesn’t necessarily mean shooting. But how often is he touching paint to collapse the defence? And, given how Burries has saidthat “rebounding gets [him] going,” how hard is he crashing the glass?
Projected Starters
Game Details
Who: Milwaukee Bucks (1-11) vs. Atlanta Hawks (7-6).
When: 7:00 p.m. CST.
Where: Fiserv Forum—Milwaukee, WI.
Watch: MY24.
Listen: Check local listings.
Prescient Prediction
2024-25 NBA steals leader and current NBA steals leader Dyson Daniels has a field day in the passing lanes, taking advantage of the Bucks’ turnover issues on his way to a season-high-tying seven steals.
