Dejounte Murray’s 25 points, eight rebounds, 11 assists and three steals has spurred the Trae Young-less Atlanta Hawks to a 117-98 upset over the previously undefeated Milwaukee Bucks.
The Hawks were also buoyed by rookie A.J. Griffin’s career-high 24 points on 10-of-15 from the field.
Clint Capela struggled from the floor finishing with just five points on 2-of-7 shooting but pulled down 12 boards and managed a block whilst John Collins added 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting.
Onyeka Okongwu – 13 points and six rebounds – and Justin Holiday – 14 points on 4-of-7 from three – also provided the Hawks with some spark off the bench.
Milwaukee looked well on their way to their 10th-straight win to start the season in the first-half with their lead ballooning out to 16 before the end of the first-quarter before taking a six-point lead into halftime.
The Hawks, however, dominated the second-half outscoring the Bucks 65-40 behind a 37-point third-quarter.
Nate McMillan’s squad won the rebounding battle and forced 18 Milwaukee turnovers en route to their third win in-a-row.
MVP frontrunner Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 25 points and seven rebounds on 9-of-20 from the field whilst Jrue Holiday had 16 points, six rebounds and seven assists on 7-of-14 shooting.
Bobby Portis produced an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double off the bench also.
The Hawks improve to 7-3 on the year – the third-best mark in the Eastern Conference – and, whilst the Bucks’ unbeaten start to the season is no more, they still find themselves a league-best 9-1.
The Hawks host the high-flying Jazz on Thursday whilst the Bucks will travel to Oklahoma City the same day.
Bucks All-Star Khris Middleton is progressing towards his season debut as he continues rehabbing his injured wrist and, whilst Young missed today’s win due to a shin issue, he is expected to return to the lineup shortly for Atlanta.
