Ascending Hawks eager to welcome beleaguered Bucks

Boasting the league's longest active winning streak, the Atlanta Hawks look to continue to gain ground in the cluttered Eastern Conference standings when they host the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday afternoon.

Atlanta has won eight straight games, marking the franchise's longest streak since an eight-game run in March 2021. A win over the reeling Bucks would signify the Hawks' best stretch since winning 19 in a row in the 2014-15 season.

The Hawks are 9-1 since the All-Star break but still sit 2 1/2 games behind the fifth-place Orlando Magic and No. 6 Miami Heat, who have won six and seven straight games, respectively.

Inching closer to the seventh-place Toronto Raptors, Atlanta continued to take advantage of a generous schedule with a 108-97 win over the lowly Brooklyn Nets on Thursday.

Atlanta briefly trailed in the fourth quarter and shot just 39.3% from the field and 30% on 3-point attempts.

"It was really the offensive glass and making plays defensively to turn (Brooklyn) over, which gave us more opportunities, because we obviously didn't shoot the ball well," said head coach Quin Snyder, whose team owned a 17-4 advantage in offensive rebounds.

"These are the types of games that you need to win, and to do it that way is significant to me."

With 16 games remaining in the regular season, Atlanta would love to see sustained production from 2024 No. 1 overall draft pick Zaccharie Risacher. The 20-year-old has seen his scoring average dip from 12.6 points to 10.2 in his second season, but he poured in 19 off the bench Thursday.

Risacher, who transitioned into a bench role after the All-Star break, said fellow reserve Gabe Vincent has contributed to his confidence.

"It's been great playing with (Vincent)," Risacher said. "He's a really smart player, a really good player. As a young player, it's good to have somebody I can talk to and ask questions."

All-Star Jalen Johnson leads Atlanta with 22.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game. Nickeil Alexander-Walker adds 20 points per game.

Milwaukee dropped seven of its last eight games, including a 112-105 decision to the Heat on Thursday, to slip further out of play-in contention. The 10th-place Charlotte Hornets are six games up in the standings.

In a frustrating year for Giannis Antetokounmpo's Bucks, who are on track to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016, the final month will be about trying to carry momentum into next season.

"If you develop bad habits, you won't have growth," Antetokounmpo said. "There's going to be a time that things are going to turn around. When it turns around for us to be a better team, if that's this year or next year, you won't be ready if you're stuck with bad habits. You just have to keep playing the right way."

The Bucks will have to do without the two-time MVP, who originally was listed on Milwaukee's injury report as questionable for Saturday's game due to injury management on his right calf strain before he was ruled out of the matchup with a left ankle sprain. Coach Doc Rivers said Saturday the ankle injury stemmed from Thursday's loss to the Heat.

Antetokounmpo has averaged 27.5 points and 9.7 rebounds a game while dealing with the calf strain, which has limited him to 35 appearances this season. Kevin Porter Jr. adds 17.2 points per game, followed by Ryan Rollins' 16.6.

--Field Level Media