Hawks Halted at Home

The Bucks meet the Hawks in Milwaukee on Friday with a chance to close out the first round playoff series in critical Game 6. Milwaukee stunned the hometown Hawks 91-87 and has won three straight games to lead the series 3-2. Atlanta squandered a series of advantages Wednesday as the Bucks rallied back to snap the Hawks’ fourteen game home winning streak. Milwaukee can eliminate the third seeded Hawks with a win at Bradley Center tomorrow.
Twenty year old, Brandon Jennings, matched a game high 25 points in the victory. The rookie point guard sank four clutch free throws in the game’s final 20 seconds to secure the win. Atlanta’s Al Horford lead the way with 25 points and 11 rebounds to finish with a double-double. Horford was able to get the Milwaukee big men in foul trouble, leaving Bucks’ coach Scott Skiles to send little-used players in the game off the bench. The All-Star Horford was finally slowed in the final quarter when shot selection haunted the Hawks. Milwaukee shot 41% from the field but simply wouldn’t go away in the end. Jennings notched 12 straight buckets during one stretch in the first quarter. The Bucks grasped a 18-15 edge on Jennings’ bank shot with just over six minutes in the first but went cold over the next four minutes. Milwaukee shot 10-for-32 in the first half but remained aggressive in pursuit of the basket. Atlanta’s 40% first half shooting wasn’t much better but the Hawks headed into the break up by three. The home team looked tight as they struggled with a disjointed offense and fumbled away a handful of fast break chances. The Hawks didn’t break 40 points until the final minute of the first half. Forward Marvin Williams scored a career playoff high 22 points in the loss as the Hawks overcame first half frustrations to spark some energy into the third quarter.
The Hawks sat on a comfortable 13 point lead after seizing control in the third quarter. They found out the hard way not to rest on the brutal Bucks. Milwaukee benefited from several missed opportunities by the Hawks. Atlanta missed four foul shots and turned the ball over as their lead was reduced to eight by the en d of the third quarter. Atlanta abandoned the inside shot in the second half and allowed the Bucks to attempt 18 free throws. The Hawks didn’t go to the line once during the pivotal fourth quarter. The gritty Bucks are on the verge of the Eastern conference semifinals because they outscored the Hawks 30-18 in the final quarter. John Salmons contributed 19 points and fueled Milwaukee’s frantic comeback with a pair of free throws. Eight of Salmons’ nineteen points came in the fourth quarter. The seven year star logged 45 minutes and dished out a game high five assists in the Milwaukee comeback win. The Bucks went on a 14-0 run during the final four minutes with a dazzling display of defense, drives and dunks.
Ersan Ilyasova dominated the boards to save critical possessions for the Bucks as the clock continued to tick. Ilyasova hit the go-ahead jumper with 1:58 left. Carlos Delfino banked a 3-pointer to give the Bucks a 86-82 lead but Horford’s’ trey made it just an 89-87 advantage with 10 seconds left. Jennings calmly fired two from the charity stripe to lift Milwaukee to a four point win. Joe Johnson, one of Atlanta’s top scorers, was held to 13 points and six rebounds. Both teams matched 16 assists and 39 rebounds, but it was the free throw differential that made the difference. Should the Hawks lose Friday, it will be one of the worst collapses in the city of Atlanta’s history. Atlanta can still regain home court advantage in a potential Game 7 with a road victory.

Parting Points: Happy Birthday Andre Agassi!

Funny article about the world’s worst tennis pro:
http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2010/04/29/even-court-agrees-hes-the-worst-pro-tennis-player/?ncid=txtlnkusspor00000002