Patty Mills

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Atlanta Hawks

ATLANTA&nbsp;– The Atlanta Hawks have requested waivers on guard Patty Mills, the team announced today.&nbsp;

Mills appeared in 19 games with the Hawks during the 2023-24 season, averaging 2.7 points and 1.1 rebounds in 10.6 minutes of play.

The Canberra, Australia native has seen action in 879 career games (107 starts), owning averages of 8.9 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 20.2 minutes per game. Throughout his 15-year NBA career, Mills has suited up for Portland (2009-11), San Antonio (2011-21), Brooklyn, (2021-23) and Atlanta (2023-24).

Mills was acquired by the Hawks from the Oklahoma City Thunder on July 12, 2023

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Hawks Request Waivers on Patty Mills

Bogdan Bogdanovic, Patty Mills, and Bruno Fernando are slated to begin play in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup this weekend. 

The 32-team tournament begins Friday and runs through Sep. 10. The first portion of the event features group play with the field broken into groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each of the eight groups advance to play in the next phase, which amounts to a 16-team, single-elimination event (with the inclusion of additional games among the top-eight teams to determine the exact finish from 1st place to 8th place).

For the first time in the event's history, the tourney is spread across three different host nations: the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia.&nbsp;

Bogdanovic will lead Serbia into battle in Group B in Manila. They face each of the teams in their group once over the next week: China on Saturday, Puerto Rico on Monday, and South Sudan on Wednesday.&nbsp;

Serbia finished&nbsp;fifth&nbsp;in the previous iteration of the same event in 2019, although that team included two-time NBA MVP and reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic, who is resting this summer after Denver's long playoff run. Nevertheless, Bogdanovic will have the help of some longtime Serbian team stalwarts like Nikola Milutinov as well as some rising young stars like Nikola Jovic of the Miami Heat.

Serbia went 4-1 over the past month in friendly warmup matches leading up to the World Cup. Bogdanovic averaged 15.8 points per game over that stretch, including a 19-point effort in a win over the same Chinese team that they face Saturday.

Mills and Australia play&nbsp;in Okinawa in a deep Group E alongside Germany, Finland and Japan. Australia finished in fourth place in the event in 2019, and Mills will be joined on the roster by a number of NBA players, including Josh Giddey, Matisse Thybulle, Dyson Daniels, and Joe Ingles.&nbsp;

Australia went 4-1 in their friendlies, while Mills averaged 9.4 points per game in those contests. They face Finland on Friday, Germany on Sunday, and host country Japan on Tuesday.&nbsp;

The Hawks acquired Mills, a 14-year NBA veteran and 2014 NBA Champion, in a July 12 trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Mills also helped Australia win&nbsp;a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Australia’s first medal in their Olympic men’s basketball history.

Angola returns to the event for a ninth time, with Fernando leading the way in the paint. They play in Group A in Manila, facing Italy in the tournament's first game Friday, followed by a match against host country the Philippines Sunday, and finishing against the Dominican Republic Tuesday.&nbsp;

Fernando had 12 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks in Angola's&nbsp;final tuneup before the tournament, a 75-65 loss to Japan in Tokyo.

While Bogdanovic and Mills are certainly aiming for the top spot on the podium for their teams this summer, they would probably not mind a repeat of their individual performances from 2019. Bogdanovic led the event with 183 total points scored and Mills finished second with 182. It should be quite a sight to see the two snipers resume international play this week.

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Three Hawks representing home countries in 2023 FIBA World Cup

Acquire Guard from Oklahoma City, in Exchange for TyTy Washington Jr., Usman Garuba, Rudy Gay and a Future Second-Round Pick

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Hawks&nbsp;have acquired guard Patty Mills from the Oklahoma City Thunder, in exchange for guard TyTy Washington Jr., forwards Usman Garuba and Rudy Gay, and a future second-round pick, the team announced today.

Mills has appeared in 860 games throughout his 14-year NBA career (107 starts), suiting up for Portland (2009-11), San Antonio (2011-21) and Brooklyn (2021-23). He owns career averages of 9.0 points, 2.3 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 20.4 minutes of action (.426 FG%, .389 3FG%, .854 FT%).&nbsp;

The 6-1 guard saw action in 40 games (two starts) with the Brooklyn Nets during the 2022-23 season, notching 6.2 points, 1.4 assists and 1.1 rebounds in 14.2 minutes of play (.411 FG%, .366 3FG%, .833 FT%). During the 2021-22 season, he connected on a career-high 227 three-pointers, the 18th-most in the league that season and the second-most triples in a single season in Nets history.

Mills spent 10 seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, appearing in 665 games, the seventh-most games played in Spurs history, making 57 starts. Over his 10-year run in San Antonio, he averaged 9.4 points, 2.4 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 20.8 minutes of play (.430 FG%, .389 3FG%, .867 FT%). Mills helped lead the Spurs to the postseason in eight of his 10 seasons, including winning the 2014 NBA Finals.

Drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 55th overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft, Mills spent his first two seasons in Portland, appearing in 74 games, tallying 5.1 points and 1.5 assists in 11.1 minutes.

Mills has appeared in the playoffs in 12 of his 14 seasons, including in each of his first 10 campaigns. The guard has seen action in 95 playoff games (11 starts), owning postseason averages of 6.7 points, 1.6 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 16.0 minutes.&nbsp;

The Canberra, Australia native has been a member of the Australian National Team since 2007, leading the country to a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, representing the first medal in Australia’s Olympic men’s basketball history.

Gay was acquired by Atlanta from Utah on Friday, July 7, while Garuba and Washington Jr. were acquired by Atlanta from Houston on Saturday, July 8.

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Atlanta Hawks Acquire Guard Patty Mills

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The Hawks split their first two regular season games, and the schedule doesn't get any easier this week with the Spurs, Hornets and Knicks on the docket.

Details:  8:30 p.m. (ET) | AT&amp;T Center | SportSouth, 92.9 The Game

The reigning NBA Champions are off to a tough start by Spurs standards.  After a Houdini-like escape act on opening night, San Antonio was shut down in the desert Friday against Phoenix.  A rare four-day break between games should give them some time to rest and heal prior to Atlanta's second trip to the AT&amp;T Center in two weeks (the first was a preseason-ending Atlanta win).  Kawhi Leonard's eye infection seems to not be a hinderance, as he played 23 minutes against the Suns on Friday.  He did go 0-5 from the field, but that could be rust as much as vision.  Tiago Splitter and Patty Mills, two key pieces from last year's championship team, remain out, which gives Al Horford and Paul Millsap one less road block on Atlanta's offensive end.  This Spurs team is still a dangerous one though.  Tony Parker is averaging 21 points on 55 percent shooting through two games, and Tim Duncan is averaging a double-double.  The preseason win in San Antonio's house looked good on paper, but the Hawks struggled against the Spurs' first unit before Gregg Popovich pulled the plug in the first half.

Details:  7:00 p.m. (ET) | Time Warner Cable Arena | SportSouth, 92.9 The Game

The Hornets are expected to field their best team in a while.  General manager Rich Cho has made a splash in free agency in back-to-back years, getting Al Jefferson in 2013 and following that up with the Lance Stephenson signing this offseason.  Charlotte is off to a 1-2 start, though all three games have been decided by one possession.  Defensively, we know they're good.  They were fourth in the NBA in scoring defense a season ago and are allowing just 91 points per game through the first three.  The problem with them is scoring the ball.  They've scored more than 100 just once and needed overtime to do it.  Keeping Kemba Walker out of the lane and Al Jefferson off the block are both easier said than done, but accomplishing that should go a long way toward keeping Charlotte's offensive struggles going.  Offensively, the Hawks have the luxury of Al Horford, meaning they can draw Jefferson away from the basket.  That, and keeping the ball zipping, will be key against the Hornets' stout D

Details:  7:30 p.m. (ET) | Philips Arena | SportSouth, 92.9 The Game | Buy Tickets

The Knicks weren't expected by very many to be one of the better teams in the East, but after an opening night stinker against Chicago, they've rallied to beat the Cavaliers and Hornets to open the season 2-1.  New head coach Derek Fisher has preached defense, and his team has responded the past two games, allowing an average of 92.5 points.  With Jose Calderon sidelined for a few weeks, former Hawks draft pick Shane Larkin has stepped into the point guard role and been serviceable.  His stats won't blow you away, but he's shooting an efficient 47 percent and is limiting turnovers.  Carmelo Anthony is off to a hot start, and A'mare Stoudemire seems to finally be fully healthy.  Part of New York's success has been playing Anthony at the 4, allowing for more movement on offense and creating that matchup problem, while allowing themselves to be quicker on defense.  Whether Fisher sticks with that strategy remains to be seen, but it's worked so far for what looks to be an improved Knicks team.

Paul Millsap vs. Carmelo Anthony on Saturday.  Millsap has guarded him in the past when the Knicks have gone small and might have to do it again.

IT PROBABLY WON'T HAPPEN, BUT WE HOPE IT DOES...

The Hawks will beat the Hornets in overtime.  The probability of overtime is small, but it seems to happen frequently when these teams meet, most recently in the preseason.

IT PROBABLY WILL HAPPEN, BUT WE HOPE IT DOESN'T...

The Hawks will lose by two points in a regular season game at the AT&amp;T Center.  See "2012-13" or "2013-14" if you don't know what we're talking about.

Adreian Payne (Plantar fasciitis):  He's listed as day-to-day after sitting out Saturday's home opener.

The Hawks haven't beaten the Spurs in a regular season game in San Antonio since Tim Duncan was drafted in 1997.

Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution pointed out that Kyle Korver (80%), Mike Scott (71.4%) and Jeff Teague (66.7%) all rank among the top 5 in the league in three-point shooting percentage so far this season.

Here's where the various sports websites have us in their rankings this week:

Patty Mills

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