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Hawks 111, Bucks 103
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
MILWAUKEE — Six players scored in double digits for Atlanta as the Hawks wrapped up the regular season with a 111-103 victory over the Bucks on Wednesday night at Bradley Center.
Already locked into a first-round playoff meeting with top-seeded Indiana, the Hawks rested their leading scorer, forward Paul Millsap, but got 17 points from forward Mike Scott and 15 from center Mike Muscala.
Forward Cartier Martin hit 5-of-7 shots and knocked down two of Atlanta’s eight 3-pointers to finish with 14 points. Forward DeMarre Carroll added 13 points and point guard Jeff Teague and guard Shelvin Mack each finished with 11 for the Hawks, who shot 53.9 percent.
Milwaukee point guard Brandon Knight ended the season on a high note, hitting 12 of 18 from the field to finish with 31 points.
Forward John Henson scored 19 and forward Khris Middleton added 16 for the Bucks, who shot 51.9 percent but committed 22 turnovers which Atlanta turned into 24 points. Rookie forward Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 10.
Both sides got off to blistering starts.
Atlanta (38-44) got 15 points from Scott and 10 from Teague while shooting 60.5 percent. But the Bucks got 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting from Knight, and they led 63-58 at halftime.
The Bucks (15-67) held an 83-82 lead into the final quarter but fell apart down the stretch. They trailed by 10 when Scott hit a jumper to make it 97-87 with 6:37 to play.
Milwaukee closed the book on a largely forgettable season with the worst record in franchise history, but at the same time the Bucks ended on an optimistic note.
The team will have a 25 percent chance of landing the first overall pick in the upcoming draft and also gained a sense of stability after it was announced earlier in the day that the franchise was being sold by former Sen. Herb Kohl.
Both Kohl, who has owned the Bucks since 1985, and the new ownership group — led by New York hedge fund managers Wes Edens and Marc Lasry — committed $100 million apiece to construction of a new arena in Milwaukee.
The Bucks’ lease at Bradley Center, which opened in 1988, expires after the 2016-17 season.
NOTES: Bucks G/F Khris Middleton was 9-for-13 on 3-point attempts in his three previous games. … F Paul Millsap, the Hawks’ leading scorer at 17.9 points per game, sat out a second straight game in order to rest for the playoffs. … Milwaukee was the only team that failed to win consecutive games this season.
