Hawks complete Abu Dhabi sweep of Bucks with 118-109 win

The Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks wrapped up the 2022 Abu Dhabi Games on Saturday, with the Hawks coming out on top with the 118-109 win. Trae Young led the way with 31 points for the Hawks in under 20 minutes, all of which came in the first half. Young put on a show from beyond the arc, going 7-of-9 from three and 11-of-15 from the floor overall.

The Hawks led the Bucks 63-55 at the break behind Young’s exploits, as Milwaukee’s star forwards Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton did not play in this one. Dejounte Murray and Justin Holiday both missed the game for Atlanta.

Young also had the passing rolling Saturday, totaling six assists compared to just one turnover in the outing. He finds Clint Capela here with a fancy drop-off at the rim.

The Hawks extended their lead to 16 with an 8-0 run to start the second half, and they led by double-digits for nearly the rest of the way from there as both teams began to deploy the reserves exclusively towards the end of the third period. The Bucks made a push late in the fourth, but never got closer than nine as Atlanta closed out the 118-109 win.

AJ Griffin got the most extended run he’s had since being drafted by the Hawks, totaling 13 points in 23 minutes. Griffin looked good offensively in this one, which is obviously very encouraging to see.

De’Andre Hunter continued to look good overall after a strong showing on Thursday, scoring 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the floor.

Onyeka Okongwu had a strong showing off the bench for the second straight game, scoring 12 points to go with four rebounds and three assists in 17 minutes.

The Hawks will now have a few days off after a pair of wins in Abu Dhabi. Atlanta will be back in action Wednesday evening when they are back on the road vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers for preseason game No. 3.

Stay tuned.