The Hawks lost more than a game on Friday night with Trae Young going down to injury in a 112-86 loss to the short-handed Bucks at State Farm Arena. It was the Hawks’ ninth straight loss, one short of a season-worst streak of 10 defeats.
Here are five keys to the game:
1. Young suffered a sprained right ankle late in the first half and was ruled out for the remainder of the game. The point guard will also miss Saturday's game in Chicago in the second of back-to-back games.
Following the game, Young said he would remain in Atlanta for continued treatment.
“I rolled it pretty bad,” Young said. “It hurts pretty bad right now but that’s to be expected. I came back here, got some treatment on it, iced it already.”
Young was called for an offensive foul when he drove the lane with 1:32 remaining in the second quarter. He appeared to twist his ankle as he fell to the ground following a collision with the Bucks’ D.J. Wilson. Young needed to be helped off the court by John Collins and Kevin Huerter. He immediately went to the locker room.
Young had a team-high 12 points when he was forced to leave.
Young said he was in pain and admitted to leaning on his left leg during a postgame interview. He also said he might use crutches.
Young missed one game earlier this season with a right ankle sprain. He sat out an Oct. 31 game against the Heat, two days after suffering the injury. He returned for the Hawks’ next game on Nov. 5.
“I’ll work my (butt) off to get back as quick as possible,” Young said. “I did that with my last time and I’m going to do the same thing to get back as quick as possible.”
2. The Bucks (28-5) led from start to finish in their third win of the season over the Hawks (6-26). They led 8-0 after the Hawks missed their first five shots. The Bucks led by as many as 15 points in the first quarter, 23 points in the second quarter and a game-high 32 points in the third quarter. Most of the damage was done in the second quarter when the Bucks outscored the Hawks 31-21 after shooting 55% from the field and 50% from 3-point range. After a 15-6 run to start the third quarter, the Bucks had a lead of more than 30 points.
3. The Bucks played without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who missed the game with back soreness. The reigning NBA MVP is averaging career-highs in points (30.5), second in the league in scoring, and rebounds (12.9). "His back is something that would be in that category of something we manage," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "Keep our eyes on it. Sometimes it flares up. Today, it's enough that he can't play. Hopefully, it's not something that is significant even though it's something that we monitor on a regular basis." Antetokounmpo had 33 points and 11 rebounds and 30 points and 10 rebounds in the previous games against the Hawks this season. The Bucks were also missing Eric Bledsoe.
4. Without Antetokounmpo, the Bucks got balanced scoring. Khris Middleton led the way with a game-high 23 points, one of five players in double figures. Former Hawk Ersan Ilyasova had 18 points and 17 rebounds and Brook Lopez had 19 points. Allen Crabbe led the Hawks with a season-high 20 points.
5. There will be no rest for the weary and wounded. The Hawks played without Alex Len (ankle) and Jabari Parker (right shoulder impingement) before losing Young. The Hawks' game at the Bulls marks the third time this season they have played Chicago in the second of back-to-back nights. They lost to the Bulls on Nov. 6 after beating the Spurs and on Dec. 11 after losing to the Heat.
“We are back in the same boat (with injuries),” Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce said. “That’s professional sports. There are things we can’t control. … This is no excuse for us. Nobody feels sorry for us when guys go down. That’s not the point. I’m not that way and I won’t be that way.”
Quote of the game
“I don’t like seeing that over and over, whether it’s me or anybody. I watched it once just to see what happened.” – The Hawks’ Trae Young on his injury.
Stat of the game
The Hawks had three starters finish with a plus/minus of minus-25 or worse - De’Andre Hunter (-36), John Collins (-34) and Trae Young (-25).
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