Giannis Antetokounmpo’s triple-double helps Bucks outrun the Hawks 127-121
ATLANTA – The Milwaukee Bucks have put together another win streak, as they won their third in a row by beating the Atlanta Hawks, 127-121, Tuesday night at State Farm Arena. The Bucks are a season-best 10 games over .500 at 35-25.
Milwaukee has won seven of its last eight.
The Hawks were coming off a buzzer-beating victory over the Grizzlies in Memphis on Monday night and it looked as if their legs flattened out a bit late in a close game, and they dropped to 28-34 overall. Point guard Trae Young had a chance to tie the game with a floater with 42 seconds left, but his attempt over Brook Lopez hit the front of the rim.
Damian Lillard then hit a nifty layup to give the Bucks a 125-121 lead with 26.6 seconds remaining.
The Bucks had a tough shooting night after having two days in Atlanta, as they made just 29.7.% of their three-pointers. But, they were 18 of 23 from the free throw line.
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BOX SCORE:Bucks 127, Hawks 121
Gianis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with his sixth triple-double of the season, scoring 26 points, pulling down 11 rebounds and handing out 10 assists. He was 10 of 18 from the field and 8 of 12 from the free throw line.
Lillard added 23 points while Kyle Kuzma (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Brook Lopez (13 points, 13 rebounds) had double-doubles. Kevin Porter Jr. and Gary Trent Jr. scored 15 points each off the bench for Milwaukee.
Young led the Hawks with 28 points on 9-of-24 shooting. He also had 13 assists. Caris LeVert added 21 off the bench while Dyson Daniels had 16 points and two steals.
Atlanta is hanging on in the play-in picture largely due to an offense that is No. 7 in scoring (116.9 points per game), which it runs at a pace of 103.98 possessions per 48 minutes – the second-most in the NBA.
Milwaukee isn’t “slow,” as it entered the game at No. 2 in pace at 100.39 possessions per 48 minutes, or just behind Indiana (100.684), but the Bucks just go about offense differently. The Hawks came in putting up 91.8 shots per game (No. 6) while the Bucks only shoot it 87.0 times per game (23rd).
Doc Rivers said the emphasis for the Bucks is always on maintaining their pace, and trying to get teams to adjust to that, as opposed to trying to slow down an opponent. Rivers added that against high-pace teams, it behooves the Bucks to push it more often. As for how they’ve gone about doing that of late, Bucks forward Taurean Prince said it’s become a more natural part of their game as the team has built more chemistry.
“We take what the defense gives us – we’re not making stuff up,” he said at shootaround. “If somebody’s open for a kick ahead, kick it ahead.
“We’re just getting into what we want to get to, quicker. Not necessarily walking the ball up every single possession, not necessarily transition. Just normal, natural pace.”
The Bucks got up 95 shots, and for the most part it did look natural for them – particularly with all the open threes they had. Unfortunately, they missed most of them on Tuesday, going 11 for 37. The Hawks put up 101 shots and made five more three-pointers.
Part of that was an improbable night from Atlanta big man Mouhamed Gueye, who came into the game having made 6 three-pointers on 34 attempts (17%) in his previous 13 games. On Tuesday, he was 4 of 6.
But unfortunately for the Milwaukee, which had come into the game allowing 108.8 points per game out of the break, the pace was maybe a bit too fast as Atlanta surpassed that number about halfway through the fourth quarter.
Offensively, though, the Bucks were able to keep it up to the end as it appeared playing on the second night of a road-home back-to-back got to the Hawks as they couldn’t get enough shots to go down.
The Hawks blocked three Bucks dunk attempts, and the Bucks missed four layups at or above the rim, including two from Antetokounmpo and one each from Kuzma and Lillard. The Hawks scored 11 points going the other way off those missed layups. Atlanta scored five points off one of the blocked dunk attempts – including a game-tying three-pointer by LeVert in front of the Bucks bench with 62 seconds left at 121-121 when Gueye blocked an Antetokounmpo dunk attempt.
13: Rebounds for Brook Lopez, a season high. His previous best was 10 rebounds against Houston on Nov. 18.22: Points Giannis Antetokounmpo is away from reaching the 20,000 milestone.
9-3: Bucks record in the first game of back-to-backs.
14-16: Bucks record on the road, but they are 5-2 in their last seven away from Fiserv Forum. The Bucks are currently the only playoff team (a top six seed) in the Eastern Conference with a losing mark on the road, and they have not been .500 away from Fiserv Forum this season since starting the year 1-1 on Oct. 27. They were 18-22 on the road last season. From 2018-23 they were one of the best teams on the road in the NBA, compiling a 123-74 (62.4%) record away from Milwaukee.
17-9: Hawks run to start the second quarter against the Bucks bench unit, flipping a 37-33 first quarter deficit to a 50-46 lead by the time Giannis Antetokounmpo checked back in. Atlanta had a 10-0 run in that stretch which saw them take 10 shots to Milwaukee’s five, thanks to multiple offensive rebounds and a Bucks turnover.
Atlanta was without head coach Quin Snyder for the game, as he elected to sit out the game after falling ill with flu-like symptoms. He coached the Hawks to a victory in Memphis on Monday and did his usual pregame media availability. Assistant Igor Kokoškov replaced Snyder as the acting head coach for the Hawks.
The Bucks’ superstar is probable to play as he’s still managing the after-effects of a left calf strain. Since coming back from the injury out of the all-star break, Antetokounmpo has not missed a game but has been on a minute restriction of about 32 per game.
More:’Before, I didn’t see the game like this’: Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo has found a midrange shot, and opponents should be terrified
Kyle Kuzma stepped on Giannis Antetokounmpo as they both went for a rebound in Dallas on March 1, spraining his right ankle. An MRI came back clean, and Kuzma didn’t really practice on Monday in Atlanta and began Tuesday as doubtful to play – but he was upgraded to questionable after the team’s shootaround.
The game is scheduled to tip off at 6:30 p.m. CT.
The game will be broadcast locally on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin with Dave Koehn, Steve Novak and Melanie Ricks on the call. Gabe Neitzel will fill in for Koehn on the WTMJ Radio and BMO Bucks Radio Network.
Milwaukee is a 6.5-point favorite over Atlanta and the over/under is 239.5 points, per BetMGM.
Bucks manage to keep pace with Hawks
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Giannis Antetokounmpo posts triple-double as surging Bucks finish strong to beat Hawks 127-121
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) looks to pass in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks, Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
ATLANTA (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his seventh triple-double of the season, and the surging Milwaukee Bucks beat the Atlanta Hawks 127-121 on Tuesday night.
Damian Lillard scored 23 points for the Bucks, who have won three straight and seven of eight. Milwaukee remained in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, with the same record as fifth-place Indiana (35-25).
Trae Young led Atlanta with 28 points and 13 assists. Caris LeVert — who made the game-winning layup at the buzzer in Atlanta’s 132-130 victory at Memphis on Monday night — scored 21 points.
Neither team led by more than eight points. Following the final tie at 121, the Bucks scored the final six.
Bucks: Brook Lopez scored 13 points and had a season-high 13 rebounds. … F Kyle Kuzma (right ankle) started and had 17 points and 10 rebounds after initially being listed as doubtful.
Hawks: Atlanta signed F Dominick Barlow to a multi-year contract. Barlow signed a two-way deal on July 30, 2024. The team terminated the 10-day contract G Kevon Harris signed on Saturday and signed F Jacob Toppin to a two-way contract.. … F Zaccharie Risacher, named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month on Tuesday, was held to seven points.
LeVert’s 3-pointer tied the game at 121-all before a jam by Lopez gave Milwaukee the lead. Following a missed jumper by Young, Lillard’s layup gave the Bucks a 125-121 advantage.
Milwaukee’s Kevin Porter Jr. scored 12 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter.
Milwaukee hosts Dallas on Wednesday to begin a string of six of seven games at home. Atlanta plays Indiana at home on Thursday night before again facing the Pacers at home on Saturday.
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Bucks vs. Hawks Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Tuesday, March 4
The Milwaukee Bucks have won seven of their last 10 games entering Tuesday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Hawks are playing the second night of a back-to-back in this matchup after upsetting the Memphis Grizzlies on the road on Monday night.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks are aiming to hold off the Indiana Pacers for the No. 4 seed, but they have actually struggled against Atlanta this season, winning just one of three games. However, the Bucks did beat the Hawks in the NBA Cup semifinals earlier this season.
Atlanta is in the play-in tournament mix in the East, but it hasn’t been nearly as good since Jalen Johnson was ruled out for the season.
With the Hawks set as home underdogs, how should we bet on this matchup?
First, let’s break down the odds and some player props, and then I’ll share my game prediction for this Eastern Conference clash.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Spread
Moneyline
Total
This is a great matchup for Bucks guard Damian Lillard, as the Hawks rank 26th in the NBA in opponent 3-pointers made per game.
Lillard has made at least four 3-pointers in each of his three games against Atlanta this season, knocking down four shots in their last meeting on Feb. 7.
The All-Star guard is shooting 38.0 percent from deep this season, and he’s cleared this line in five of his last eight games on 10.8 attempts per game. Lillard is shooting 38.4 percent from 3 over that stretch while averaging 4.1 makes per contest.
No team in the NBA has allowed more points per game to the point guard position than the Milwaukee Bucks, and Trae Young has at least 24 points in two of his three meetings with them this season.
Young has struggled as of late, scoring less than 20 points in four straight, but prior to that he had a nine-game stretch in February where he averaged 32.4 points per game. Young may be undervalued on Tuesday night.
Can the Hawks take the season series against Milwaukee?
Atlanta already has two wins against the Bucks, and I think it may be undervalued as a home underdog on Tuesday night.
This is the second night of a back-to-back for the Hawks, but they’re 6-6 against the spread in those contests and 8-6 against the spread overall as home dogs. Milwaukee, on the other hand, is 6-11 against the spread as a road favorite.
Even though Atlanta is just 5-5 in its last 10 games, it’s still 14th in the NBA in net rating, just three spots behind the Bucks. Milwaukee is also shorthanded in this matchup with Kyle Kuzma doubtful and Bobby Portis (suspension) out.
Don’t be shocked if the Hawks keep this close since they’ve already beaten the Bucks twice this season.
Pick: Hawks +7 (-112 at DraftKings)
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Peter is a senior editor for Sports Illustrated Betting. He has worked as a writer and editor for BetSided, NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering the NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLB, and more. A New York City resident, he is a hoops fanatic with a soft spot for his New York Knicks.
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