Milwaukee Bucks - Atlanta Hawks Preview: Injuries, Odds, Score Prediction & Starters

A confounding loss to the Bulls hurts, but the Hawks have a great opportunity to make up for it tonight against Milwaukee.

Mar 14, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo (43) blocks the shot of Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There's no excuse for the Atlanta Hawks playing as badly as they did against the Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls are one of the worst teams in the NBA, and it hurts to drop such a winnable game. However, the Hawks cannot afford to let that feeling linger as they've got a matchup tonight against a Bucks team that's itching for a win. They've lost nine straight games. Even though the Hawks are a far better team on paper, they had the talent advantage against Chicago and failed to capitalize. The same mistakes cannot be made against Milwaukee, which is the worst team in the NBA by record.

Fortunately, there are several factors working in Atlanta's favor, and they should be able to win comfortably tonight. How could that happen?

Game Preview

Overload the Offense

Mar 14, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) is defended by Milwaukee Bucks guard Ryan Rollins (13) in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Admittedly, there are some nights in the NBA where opponents get hot and there's nothing that can be done. The Hawks had that night against the Bulls - Chicago came into the game shooting under 30% from deep as a team, but made 20 out of their 44 attempts against the Hawks. However, Atlanta lost that game because their offensive process was terrible. They shot 20% from deep and generally looked helpless while trying to stop Norman Powell, Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis from beyond the arc.

That cannot happen for a second straight game against the Bucks. They are 29th in FG%, 29th in points per game, and 28th in offensive rating. This is not a good offense by almost any metric. The Hawks can win this game easily if they shut down Tyler Herro and Ryan Rollins. Herro has given Dyson Daniels problems in the past, so it'll be important to keep throwing different coverages at Herro in order to slow him down. Fortunately, Herro's scoring volume hasn't had much overall effect on the Bucks' record.

They're 7.9 points better on offense when he's on the court, but they still only have an offensive rating of 110.1. For context, that's currently where the Indiana Pacers' offense without Tyrese Haliburton ranks, and slightly under the offensive rating of the LA Clippers.

Guarding Rollins might be a bit trickier for the Hawks as a whole, but Nickeil Alexander-Walker should be a good matchup for the Bucks' guard. In the past two seasons, NAW has guarded Rollins on 59 possessions and held him to only 2.5 points per 75 possessions on 25.8 TS%.

CJ McCrucial

Mar 4, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) looks for a shot in the second quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Hawks are going to need a lot out of CJ McCollum in tonight's game.

Even though CJ's been effective in his bench role, Atlanta's going to be without Kingston Flemings for tonight's game. That leaves a hole in the guard rotation that McCollum will need to step into. He did a solid job against Chicago, dropping 20 points on 9-for-16 shooting while dishing out five assists off the bench. However, they need to be careful to stagger his minutes so that they align with a passer like Jalen Johnson or Daniels. He's been a net positive in the lineups with either JJ or Dyson, but the duo of him and NAW has a -2.6 net rating in 227 minutes this season.

The combination of him and NAW is also severely compromised on defense, as they've posted a defensive rating of 116.9 in their minutes together. That would be the sixth-worst defensive rating in the NBA at the moment, so it seems clear that Snyder should eliminate the joint NAW and McCollum minutes without another passer until further notice.

Dominate Defensive Rebounds

Mar 14, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) and Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner (3) and forward Kyle Kuzma (18) go up for a rebound in the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One of the biggest weaknesses on Milwaukee's roster is their defensive rebounding. Myles Turner has never been much of a rebounder, Ke'el Ware's motor is inconsistent, Nate Ament is a rookie adjusting to NBA physicality, and Kyle Kuzma doesn't offer much as a complementary rebounder. There's just not an abundance of players on their roster who can compete on the defensive boards, and that's why they are 29th in defensive rebounding percentage this season.

This is a huge opportunity for the Hawks to keep their possessions alive with second-chance points and good attempts around the rim. Atlanta is 2nd in second-chance points per game and 9th in offensive rebounding percentage, so a commitment to winning that battle might make the difference against Milwaukee if the game gets close.

Injury Report

For Atlanta, Kingston Flemings is out while Asa Newell, Keshon Gilbert, Mo Gueye, and Henri Veesaar are all out. Milwaukee will be without Ousmane Dieng.

Betting Lines (via FanDuel Sportsbook)

Spread: Hawks -7.5 (-110), Bucks +7.5 (-110)

Moneyline: Bulls +240, Hawks -295

Total points scored: 233.5 (over -118, under -104)

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Projected Starters

Hawks

G - Dyson Daniels

G - Nickeil Alexander-Walker

G/F - CJ McCollum

F - Jalen Johnson

C - Onyeka Okongwu

Bucks

G - Tyler Herro

G - Brayden Burries

F - Jaime Jaquez Jr

F - Kyle Kuzma

C - Myles Turner

Final Score Prediction

Even thought the Hawks dropped a very winnable game in Chicago, I think it is unlikely that they will drop two straight games to less talented oppponents. Although I do believe Milwaukee will make it close at times, I think Atlanta will eventually win out due to their better shooting talent and ability to punish Milwaukee on the glass.

Hawks 122, Bucks 110