Three Bold Predictions For the Atlanta Hawks-Milwaukee Bucks Showdown

Who will win tonight's matchup between the Atlanta Hawks and the Milwaukee Bucks?

Nov 2, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) shoots the ball in the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The best thing about the NBA is that you usually don't have to sit on losses for very long.

After a terrible performance against the Chicago Bulls on Friday night, the Atlanta Hawks have another matchup against one of the teams at the bottom of the standings. The Milwaukee Bucks come into this game with just one win and have not been playing well for the entire year.

Now, as Friday night showed, you cannot take any opponent for granted and the Hawks could really use a strong performance, even if they are going to be without rookie point guard Kingston Flemings and possibly backup center Jock Landale, who was a late add to the injury report.

Here are three bold predictions for tonight's game.

1. CJ McCollum scores at least 30 points

With Flemings being out for this game, that should mean that CJ McCollum is going to step back into the starting lineup for the Hawks, a role that he is familiar with. The Bucks are not at the very bottom of the NBA when it comes to defense (the Bulls were though), but I think that McCollum is going to get his shots up and have a big day against the Bucks and their lack of perimeter defensive options.

Last game against Chicago, McCollum had 20 points off the bench and has shot the ball better over the last week. I think he has a big game tonight.

2. Atlanta nails 20 three pointers

Three-point shooting was the big reason the Hawks lost their game on Friday night against the Bulls. Atlanta was 9-for-40 from deep, while Chicago was 20-for-50 and when a team has a 33-point advantage on you at the three-point line, you are going to lose more often than not.

I think that Atlanta is going to bounce back tonight and have a good night shooting the basketball. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is not going to shoot 1-for-11 from three again and the Hawks will get a victory behind their big performance from beyond the arc.

3. Hawks hold the Bucks to under 100 points

This is bold given the Hawks defensive performances over the past week or so, but the Bucks have one of the worst offenses in the NBA and have scored less than 100 points in three games already this season.

This is not the easiest thing to do, but Atlanta should be motivated to come out and have a strong performance against this team after what happened on Friday night.