Bucks-Hawks Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Mar 02 2012 1:21PM

The Atlanta Hawks' recent lack of offensive punch has contributed to their current slump, though they seemingly have a solid chance to snap out of their funk against a Milwaukee Bucks team that's struggled to defend lately.

Short-handed Atlanta seeks its 11th win in 13 home meetings with Milwaukee on Friday night, though the Hawks will be without leading scorer Joe Johnson again.

Johnson did little to help end the Hawks' offensive struggles Wednesday, as the club shot a season-worst 33.7 percent in an 85-82 loss to Golden State.

Johnson, who missed the previous two games with tendinitis in his left knee, finished with a team-high 18 points but went 6 of 17 from the field. He'll sit out at least two more contests as his knee is stiff after playing more than 37 minutes against the Warriors.

Atlanta will also be without backup shooting guard Willie Green for at least two games after he left Wednesday's contest with lower back spasms, and top reserve Mike Dunleavy has returned to Milwaukee to be with his wife, who is having a baby.

Atlanta (20-15) has lost six of eight, shooting 39.2 percent and averaging 83.6 points. The Hawks have shot below 40 percent in three straight games, and they haven't failed to reach the mark in four in a row since Dec. 23-31, 2006.

"I thought we missed a lot of point-blank shots with nobody around," Johnson said.

Josh Smith, Marvin Williams and Zaza Pachulia recorded double-doubles, but their rebound totals were aided by many of their own misses. The trio shot 15 for 49.

"I thought we settled for way too many jump shots," coach Larry Drew said. "We've got to be smarter and understand the flow of the game. It's one thing if you're making shots, but if you're not making shots from the perimeter you can't just settle for jump shots."

The Hawks made 45.8 percent of their field-goal attempts in a 97-92 win in Milwaukee on Jan. 23, as Johnson scored a game-high 26 points and Smith added 19 points and 13 rebounds.

It was their fifth win in seven meetings, including playoffs, over the Bucks. Milwaukee has lost seven of nine after falling 102-96 at Boston on Wednesday.

Ersan Ilyasova had 25 points and 10 rebounds and Drew Gooden added 23 points, but Brandon Jennings shot 2 for 11 and finished with six points.

Milwaukee (14-21) has allowed three straight opponents to reach the 100-point mark for the first time all season. It hasn't allowed four consecutive teams to hit triple digits since Nov. 26-Dec. 1, 2010.

Despite those struggles, only two of the Bucks' last seven losses have come by double digits.

"We have to get it done," Gooden said. "You know, it's funny. We never get blown out. We fight to the end, and it just kind of (upsets) us that we come up short every time, almost."

Jennings had 19 points and 12 assists in the first meeting with the Hawks, though he had four points and shot 1 for 8 in a 110-85 loss March 15 in the most recent matchup in Atlanta. Johnson scored 36 points in that contest.

Jennings has shot 31.0 percent while averaging 8.7 points in three career regular-season games at Philips Arena.

Radmanovic, Hawks rally past Bucks, 99-94

By CHARLES ODUM
Posted Mar 02 2012 11:24PM

ATLANTA (AP) Vladimir Radmanovic and Jannero Pargo, scoreless through three quarters, played unlikely lead roles to give the Hawks a comeback win.

Radmanovic made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 11.9 seconds remaining and Atlanta rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 99-94 on Friday night.

Pargo scored 11 points and Radmanovic added nine - all on 3-pointers - in the final period.

The Hawks, playing without leading scoring Joe Johnson, leaned on their reserves, including veterans Tracy McGrady and Jerry Stackhouse, for the comeback.

McGrady had nine points, all in the final 12 minutes, and 11 rebounds.

It was an important win for the short-handed Hawks, who had lost six of eight, including a disappointing home loss to Golden State on Wednesday night.

The Hawks' bench, which provided 32 of the team's 34 points in the fourth quarter, helped end the skid.

"It was just beautiful to see that," said Josh Smith, who had 24 points and 19 rebounds but sat out most of the fourth quarter with the other starters.

Smith came off the bench for the final three minutes and had a key block on a shot by Drew Gooden after Radmanovic's go-ahead 3-pointer over Ersan Ilyasova.

"I was just happy to get in the mix of things," Smith said.

The Bucks, led by Brandon Jennings' 34 points, were ahead by 15 in the third quarter. Atlanta pulled ahead with a 15-3 run to open the final period.

McGrady, Pargo and Radmanovic hit 3-pointers in the run that gave Atlanta its first lead since the second quarter.

Hawks coach Larry Drew said the reserves "did just a phenomenal job."

"The energy was unbelievable, and I was going to ride those guys to the very end, because they were the guys who were playing with the energy," Drew said.

Gooden, who had 24 points and 10 rebounds, hit two free throws with 1:16 remaining for a 92-92 tie. Smith answered with a jam before Ilyasova scored on a tip-in for a 94-94 tie. Radmanovic took a pass from McGrady and hit the go-ahead 3.

"It was a tough shot," Bucks coach Scott Skiles said. "That's his shot."

Jennings wasn't as generous in his review of the shot by Radmanovic, a 3-point specialist.

"He hit a big shot," Jennings said. "I think it's a lucky shot. We both played really well and he just hit a lucky shot."

Radmanovic said he gained confidence for his biggest shot by making two 3-pointers earlier in the period.

"I made a couple shots before that and felt pretty good," Radmanovic said. "I saw (Ilyasova) just turn his back on me for just a second and I found my spot to shoot."

Stackhouse made two free throws to add to the lead.

Gooden said it was just the latest in a series of disappointments for the Bucks.

"It's just frustrating," Gooden said. "It's been the tale of the season. We come in playing as hard as we can, we're coming up short.

"It's tough. A tough night for us. The ball will fall our way eventually."

The Bucks, led by Jennings, closed the first half with a 13-2 run to lead 51-39 at the break. Jennings started the run with back-to-back 3-pointers. After stealing a pass from Smith, Jennings then added a running layup to cap his personal 8-0 run.

The Hawks had 17 turnovers in the half. Atlanta outscored Milwaukee 34-18 in the final period.

"We just couldn't make the big play," Skiles said. "And they did. They made the big shots and were able to stop us enough and cause us to miss shots in the fourth quarter.'

The Hawks were without Johnson and backup shooting guard Willie Green. Each will miss at least two games.

Kirk Hinrich made his second start, joining Jeff Teague in Atlanta's backcourt.

After missing two games and the All-Star game because of tendinitis in his left knee, Johnson returned to lead Atlanta with 18 points in Wednesday night's 85-82 loss to Golden State. Johnson's knee was stiff after playing more than 37 minutes.

Drew said he wants to make sure Johnson's knee is stronger before he returns.

Green left Wednesday night's game with lower back spasms.

The Hawks, already missing centers Al Horford (torn left pectoral muscle) and Jason Collins (sprained left elbow), struggled early in the game without Johnson. Hinrich had five turnovers in the first half.

Notes: Bucks G-F Mike Dunleavy missed the game. He returned to Milwaukee to be with his wife, who gave birth to a boy. ... The Hawks are 10-0 when Smith scores 20 or more points. ... The Hawks' 17 turnovers in the first half were a season high. They had only six turnovers in the second half. ... Beno Udrih had 12 points for Milwaukee.

Notebook: Hawks 99, Bucks 94

Posted Saturday March 3, 2012 12:49AM

By Jon Cooper, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: The Atlanta Hawks began the fourth quarter down 11, with its best available player, Josh Smith, on the bench.

Turns out they had the Milwaukee Bucks right where they wanted them.

Vladimir Radmanovic drilled his third three-pointer of the final quarter, a step-back three from straight on with 11.9 seconds left, to break a 94-94 tie, as the Hawks overcame a 15-point third-quarter deficit to beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 99-94, Friday night at Philips Arena.

Smith had 24 points and 19 rebounds to lead Atlanta, which was playing without All-Star guard Joe Johnson. Smith also came up with a huge block on Drew Gooden with 7.9 seconds left to help preserve the win. But it was the "second unit"of Radmanovic, Jannero Pargo, Tracy McGrady, Ivan Johnson and Jerry Stackhouse that did the damage, as Atlanta outscored Milwaukee 34-18 in the final 12 minutes to earn the victory. Atlanta raised its record to 21-15, 11-6 at home.

The comeback ruined what had been a monster night for Brandon Jennings, who torched the Hawks for 34 points and nine assists. Gooden added 26 and 10 for the Bucks, who fell to 14-22, 6-13 on the road.

QUOTABLE: "Those guys really don't get a lot of playing time on a consistent basis but they don't whine or complain. When their number is called they answer the bell almost every time. It was just beautiful to see that. It was beautiful to see them close the gap and take the lead and I was just happy to get in the mix of things when I got back in there."
-- Smith on the second unit and its fourth-quarter comeback.

THE STAT: 55.6 - Atlanta's three-point shooting percentage in the fourth quarter. The Hawks hit five of six attempts in the 12 minutes after shooting 3-for-14 over the first three quarters.

THE STAT II: 15 - The number of points Milwaukee had in the first half off of 17 Atlanta turnovers. The inability to take better advantage of the giveaways allowed the home team to hang around.

TURNING POINT: Trailing 78-68 two minutes into the final quarter, McGrady took over. First he grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a turnaround jumper, then snared a defensive rebound and set up a Radmanovic three, and finally hit a three of his own. The spurt reduced the lead to two, 78-76, got the crowd back into the game and put the Bucks on their heels. Milwaukee shot 3-for-15 the rest of the game.

QUOTABLE II: "You get one shot to go down and you start feeling good. The rim gets bigger. We moved the ball great. Tracy set up a lot of guys with his dribble penetration, just making two people guard him and making the right plays. He made it easy not only for myself but Stack, too, and Vlade."
-- Pargo

HOT: Radmanovic had been getting over being sick over the last few days. In the final stanza, he hit 3-of-4 from three to spark the rally.

HOT II: Gooden was automatic from the foul line, shooting a perfect 9-for-9 for the game, 6-for-6 in the final 12 minutes. Jennings was just about as automatic, hitting 9-of-11, but one of those misses came in the fourth.

NOT: Carlos Delfino had a particularly rough night, shooting 1-for-10, 0-for-6 from three. The 0-fer snapped his season-high and team-high-tying streak of 12 games making at least one three-pointer. Delfino came in shooting 45.2 percent (28-for-62) from three during the run.

GOOD MOVE: Inserting Pargo at the point to start the fourth quarter. The seven-year veteran, who had played only 5:36 previously, gave Jennings fits, forcing him into 1-for-5 shooting (0-for-2 from three), while lighting it up offensively, going 5-for-9 (1-for-2 from three).

ROOKIE WATCH: Atlanta's Ivan Johnson came off the bench in the second half and played 8:30 of the final quarter, supplying his usual rugged play and energy. He grabbed three rebounds, two of them on the offensive end. and made things very difficult inside for Gooden, who shot 1-for-5 in the stanza.

NOTABLE: Milwaukee continued to do good work on the offensive boards, grabbing 10 offensive rebounds. It's the 16th straight game in which they've done that, the third-longest active streak behind Detroit (20) and Cleveland (18) ... Ersan Ilyasova extended a his career-best streak of games with an offensive rebound to 26, grabbing three for the game ... Each team got whistled for two technical fouls in the game, with Zaza Pachulia and Stackhouse getting teed up in the third quarter, while Bucks coach Scott Skiles got whistled in the third and Shaun Livingston got one in the fourth ... The two teams combined to shoot 43 foul shots and made 37 of them (a combined 86 percent). Atlanta, which came into the game shooting 71.6 percent (ranked 27th in the League), actually shot better from the line than the Bucks, who rank second (79.3) hitting 86.7 percent (13-of-15) while the Bucks shot 85.7 (24-for-28).

UP NEXT: For the Bucks, Saturday @ Orlando, Monday vs. Philadelphia, Wednesday vs. Chicago. For the Hawks, Saturday vs. Oklahoma City, Tuesday @ Indiana, Wednesday @ Miami.

• Bucks: Bogut
• Hawks: Horford, Johnson

• Bucks: Livingston, Skiles
• Hawks: Pachulia, Stackhouse

• Lead Changes: 10
• Times Tied: 9

• Arena: Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
• Officials: #9 Derrick Stafford, #56 Mark Ayotte, #45 Brian Forte
• Attendance: 13311
• Duration: 2:13