The Milwaukee Bucks have a quick turnaround and will face one of the hottest teams in the league Thursday night when they meet against the Atlanta Hawks.
Milwaukee will be searching for their third straight victory after having recently picked up victories over the Orlando Magic and the Minnesota Timberwolves to make this a perfect road trip. The Hawks, meanwhile, are winners of their last three games and stand fourth in the East with a 30-25 record going into Thursday night’s game.
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This will be the second meeting of the 2020-21 season between the two sides as the Bucks having took the first of the three-game season series with a 129-115 victory back on January 24. However, this will be a much different matchup for various reasons as we’ll get into below.
So without further ado, let’s break down three of the biggest matchups in the Bucks’ clash with the Atlanta Hawks before Thursday night’s tip-off.
Milwaukee Bucks will pull all the stops when defending Trae Young
Thursday night could be the first time the Bucks face up against Hawks star guard Trae Young this season after he missed the first meeting between the two sides. However, Young is currently questionable with a left calf contusion, per the league’s latest injury report.
As expected, Young has been at the center of driving the Hawks’ second half surge and while his numbers are down from his season averages, it has . The third-year guard is averaging 23.4 points on .448/.323/.833 shooting, 9.6 assists, 4.1 turnovers and 3.5 rebounds across 33.3 minutes in 16 appearances.
Of course, the threat of Young’s sharpshooting is always something to account for, even as he’s only shooting 36.1 percent on the season. But more dangerous is the way Young can pick apart opposing defenses with his passing and chemistry with Hawks center Clint Capela in pick-and-roll situations.
Per a recent piece by Spencer Davies of BasketballNews.com, Young is the only player in the NBA this season to have registered 100 assists for two teammates, that being to Capela and John Collins.
Young is the engine to the Hawks’ attack and the Bucks certainly have the ways and defenders capable of slowing him and the team’s punch. Jrue Holiday will certainly see plenty of reps against Young when they both are on the floor and Holiday has the size and strength to really disrupt Young from where he wants to go at the point of attack.
Whether that holds up is the big question, but there’s no doubt that Young’s play will swing what the Hawks are capable of tonight and moving forward in the season.