Instant Takeaways From the Atlanta Hawks Comeback Win vs the Milwaukee Bucks

Tonight, the Hawks came into this game against Milwaukee on a four-game win streak, but announced pregame that forward Jonathan Kuminga would be out due to knee inflammation. While that clearly impacted things, Atlanta still showed effort, falling behind by as many as 16 points before coming back to win comfortably.

1. Offense looked well

Mo Mo Mo 🎯🎯🎯 pic.twitter.com/bcym9fG3Xk
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 5, 2026

For much of the game, the Hawks emphasized getting good shots as a team, making things easier for each other with good ball movement and clean shooting opportunities. In the first half, the Hawks dished out 17 assists as a team and made 11 three pointers on high shooting percentages of 61% from the field and 58% from three-point range. Two players who stood out in this game for Atlanta were Dyson Daniels, who finished with a double-double of 14 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks, 70% shooting, and Onyeka Okongwu, who finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, three steals, and three blocks on 64% shooting.

2. Defense on Giannis

Mar 4, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) passes the ball away from Atlanta Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu (17) in the second quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

To start the game, Antetokounmpo went on a tear, scoring with eight points in the first eight minutes of play, and would finish the first half with 16 points, three rebounds, and three assists. A lot of this came from a lack of containment on Antetokounmpo, as he was able to get to the basket with ease until Atlanta sent multiple bodies at him to slow him down. In the second half, Antetokounmpo would finish with eight more points to bring his total to 24 points, five rebounds, four assists, and one steal.

3. Jalen Johnson

Bit of everything in the first half for JJ 💧

12 PTS | 5 AST | 3 REB | 1 STL@Jalen_J23 x @GaNaturalGas pic.twitter.com/dy2c31tbxp
— Atlanta HaWWWWWks (@ATLHawks) March 5, 2026

In his return home, Johnson did not disappoint as he came out dominantly. Johnson finished the first half with 12 points, five assists, three rebounds, and one steal. To end the night, Johnson finished with 20 points, nine assists, five rebounds, and two steals. While this wasn't a major performance by Johnson, he still did enough to show up in a big game against one of the league's best players in Antetokounmpo on national television.

4. Second half response

Won the 3rd 32-18! pic.twitter.com/hqThJHTNns
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 5, 2026

For Atlanta, it seemed like in the first quarter that things were quickly going to get out of hand after they fell behind by as much as 16 points. However, in the second half, Atlanta responded with a 15-2 and 10-0 run to go up by double digits and never really looked back. The Hawks would finish the game dominating the Bucks by 18 points, doing so by coming out more aggressively in the second half and applying more pressure on defense.