Zaccharie Risacher Sets New Career High With 36 Points and Hawks Get Important Win vs Milwaukee

After two losses earlier in the week, the Hawks rode an incredible offensive night to a victory in Milwaukee. Led by the potential Rookie of the Year Zaccharie Risacher, the Hawks' offense could not be stopped all night in their 145-124 win. Risacher set a new career high tonight with 36 points, Atlanta scored the most points they have all season, and they snapped a brief two-game losing streak and got their 36th win of the year.

Risacher set the tone for the Hawks on offense, but there were other standout performances. Trae Young had 19 points and 19 assists, Dyson Daniels had 22 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, and both Georges Niang (17 points), and Onyeka Okongwu (13 points and 10 rebounds) were in double figures. The Hawks shot 53% from the field and 35% from three while having 36 assists on 50 made baskets while only having eight turnovers. There were no holes in the Hawks offense tonight, and they continue to play well. It was a career night for Risacher, but also Dyson Daniels, who set the Hawks franchise record for steals in a single season.

New CAREER HIGH 36 PTS for Zacch tonight 🇫🇷👏
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 31, 2025

THE GREAT BARRIER THIEF

NEW FRANCHISE RECORD FOR STEALS IN A SEASON pic.twitter.com/yXCQLNXbC5
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 31, 2025

Milwaukee had an incredible first half on offense, but sputtered in the second. The Bucks scored 44 points in the first quarter alone, but only 49 points in the second half. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, Kevin Porter Jr had 28 points, and Kyle Kuzma had 25 points.

This win now moves the Hawks to 36-38 overall and keeps them slightly ahead of the Magic, Bulls, and Heat for the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference. While it is very unlikely, the Hawks are now within four games of the Bucks for the No. 6 seed and they now have the tiebreaker due to winning the season series. While they are likely out of time, keep an eye on the rest of the way. They will be back at home against Portland on Tuesday.

The Hawks went back to their starting lineup of Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Mouhamed Gueye, and Onyeka Okongwu.

The Hawks offense was off to a good start in the first quarter of this game tonight, with the help of the Bucks. Atlanta took advantage of four early turnovers from Milwaukee to score 10 points and halfway through the first, Atlanta was shooting 64% from the field and was 3-6 from three.

As good of a start as it was for the Hawks, it was even better for the Bucks. They were firing on all cylinders coming out of the timeout and hit 13 of their first 15 shots (87%), including going 4-5 from three. Kuzma was leading the way with 14 points, and if not for the Hawks' hot start on offense, it would have been lopsided. The last three quarters of Thursday's game against Miami were brutal for the Hawks on defense, and this just added to it. The Bucks missed just three shots in the entire first quarter and led the Hawks 44-37 going into the second. Milwaukee shot 85% from the field and 71% from three. Kuzma led the way with 14 points and Kevin Porter Jr had 11. It was a good shooting quarter for the Hawks, going 54% from the field and 36% from three. Young had 11 points and five assists for the Hawks.

BarLOB pic.twitter.com/dFAC55e1Nc
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 30, 2025

The hot shooting did not stop there, though. The Bucks hit eight of their first 11 shots of the quarter, but the Hawks continued to keep up, hitting 10 of their first 13 shots. The Bucks led 65-62, but a 9-0 run for the Hawks gave them a 70-65 lead. After not playing in the first quarter, Georges Niang came in to give the Hawks 17 points in the second quarter, shooting 4-4 from three and 6-7 from the field. That 9-0 run turned into a 21-10 run to end the half, and even with Milwaukee's crazy shooting start, the Hawks led 82-75 at the half. They outscored Milwaukee 45-31 in the first half.

The shooting numbers in the first half were incredible for both teams. The Hawks shot 57% from the field and 46% from three. Niang led the way with 17 points, but Young recorded a first-half double-double with 16 points and 10 assists. The Hawks turned eight Milwaukee turnovers into 16 points.

Two-hand THUNDER from Zacch pic.twitter.com/sGzVeNuquw
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 30, 2025

Milwaukee shot 69% from the field and was 8-16 from three. Antetokounmpo had 21 points on 9-11 shooting, Kuzma had 14 points, and Ryan Rollins had 10.

It was all Atlanta to start the third quarter. They opened it up on a 9-1 run and took their biggest lead of the game 91-76.

Atlanta blew things open in the third quarter and that is where the game was decided. The Hawks, led by rookie Zaccharie Risacher, outscored the Bucks 36-17 in the third quarter. The Bucks offense, which had been unstoppable in the first half, grinded to a halt. They were a staggering 4-20 from the field and 1-7 from three. The Hawks on the other hand did not stop. Atlanta was 6-12 from three and 58% overall from the field. Risacher scored 11 in the quarter Atlanta led 118-92 going into the final quarter.

TRAE ALLEY OOP TO ZACCH REVERSE DUNK pic.twitter.com/49BXMx9T55
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 31, 2025

The Bucks did not give up and played well in the fourth quarter. They had a 30-15 run to cut the lead to 12 with under five minutes left and it was Porter Jr leading the way for the Bucks. Milwaukee went to the line 16 times in the first 7 1/2 minutes of the quarter, hitting 14 of them.

The game never got under double-digits and Atlanta won convincingly.

Additional Links

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