Hawks blow past Bucks, extend winning streak to nine
CJ McCollum scored 30 points and made seven 3-pointers to help the red-hot Atlanta Hawks extend their winning streak to nine games with a 122-99 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.
Jalen Johnson added 23 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds for his ninth triple-double of the season as Atlanta won nine in a row for the first time since a 19-game stretch in the 2014-15 season.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 20 points, followed by Corey Kispert's 13 and Jock Landale's 10.
Ryan Rollins had 22 points and eight assists for the Bucks, who dropped their eighth game in nine tries. Kevin Porter Jr. contributed 18 points, seven assists and seven rebounds, while Bobby Portis finished with 14 points and Kyle Kuzma chipped in 11.
After holding an eight-point halftime lead, Atlanta stretched the margin to 14 on McCollum's three straight 3-pointers to give the Hawks a 73-59 advantage with 8:04 left in the third.
Portis' 3-pointer narrowed the gap to 82-70 with 3:55 remaining in the third, before Gabe Vincent's 3-pointer and Alexander-Walker's steal and layup helped the Hawks take a 95-78 lead heading into the final quarter.
Atlanta's edge ballooned to 20 on McCollum's 3-pointer to open the fourth. Porter scored the first eight points of the quarter for Milwaukee, cutting the visitors' deficit to 16 with 7:32 remaining.
Rollins' 3-pointer got the margin down to 13, but McCollum's consecutive 3-pointers were part of Atlanta's 14-1 game-sealing run to give the Hawks a 118-92 lead, forcing Milwaukee to unload its reserves with 3:33 left.
Atlanta jumped out to an early nine-point edge, before Rollins' consecutive 3-pointers began an 11-0 run to give the Bucks a 19-17 lead. Porter's layup in the final seconds of the first quarter pulled the visitors within a point.
The Hawks pushed the lead back to nine after Alexander-Walker's triple gave the Hawks a 48-39 advantage with 6:06 left in the opening half.
Johnson's mid-range jumper gave the Hawks their first double-digit lead at 54-43. Led by Johnson and Alexander-Walker's 13 first-half points apiece, Atlanta held a 60-52 edge at halftime. Rollins' 15 paced the Bucks.