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Milwaukee Bucks Game Preview: March 24 vs Atlanta Hawks

By Ti Windisch

Jan 15, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Kris Humphries (43) works against the defense of Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) during the second half at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Bucks 111-98.Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 15, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Kris Humphries (43) works against the defense of Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) during the second half at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Bucks 111-98.Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 8, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer talks with forward Paul Millsap (4) and forward Kent Bazemore (24) and guard Dennis Schroder (17) and guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) and center Dwight Howard (8) during a time out in the fourth quarter of their game game against the Denver Nuggets at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 117-106. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 8, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer talks with forward Paul Millsap (4) and forward Kent Bazemore (24) and guard Dennis Schroder (17) and guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) and center Dwight Howard (8) during a time out in the fourth quarter of their game game against the Denver Nuggets at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 117-106. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

Major Key For Atlanta: Move The Ball

The Atlanta Hawks have been one of the absolute best passing teams in the NBA over the past few seasons. Atlanta’s penchant for passing has been going on for about half of a decade.

For four straight seasons from 2012-13 to 2015-16, the Hawks were second in the NBA in assists per game. They never claimed the top spot, but Atlanta was right behind the San Antonio Spurs for the first two of those seasons and the Golden State Warriors for the last two of them.

Teams who rack up assists tend to win a lot of games. Ball movement is central to most good offenses, meaning the teams who excel the most are often the best and most potent offensive teams. Plus, assists literally require shots to be made. That means if a team has a ton of assists, said team is doing a lot of scoring.

Atlanta hasn’t been as good as usual at dishing the rock around this season. Part of the reason is that there is a huge cog missing from the offense since Horford left, and Dwight Howard just isn’t an adept passer.

No matter the cause, the Hawks are now ninth in the Association in assists per game–two spots lower than the Bucks are, actually. Atlanta is a much better team when the Hawks are dropping dimes–the Hawks are 12-4 when they record 28 or more assists in a game this season.

The Bucks could take an L here if the Hawks are winning on the boards and zipping the ball around the floor. The Hawks might still need an X-factor though with Millsap sitting.

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