Joe Johnson scored 36 points -- 28 of them in the first half -- as the Atlanta Hawks beat up on the Milwaukee Bucks 110-85. The Bucks hardly looked like the squad that pushed Atlanta to seven game in the teams' first-round playoff series last season, instead struggling to score during vast swaths of the game and being completely unable to slow Johnson.
Bucks Vs. Hawks: Joe Johnson, Atlanta Dismiss Milwaukee
Of particular note was a 20-0 run Atlanta broke off between the first and second quarters. The teams were tied at 17 when Milwaukee proceeding to miss its next 10 shot attempts, mixing in four turnovers to go scoreless on 14 consecutive possessions. The Hawks took advantage, pulling out to a 37-17 lead and never looking back.
Andrew Bogut was strong with 21 points and 13 rebounds. The Hawks' line-up is an interesting mix -- Larry Drew went with three guards (Johnson, Kirk Hinrich and Jeff Teague) and two forwards (Al Horford, Josh Smith), leaving Marvin Williams deep on the bench. Williams ended up providing 16 points (eight of them in the uncontested fourth), but given that Marvin was typically pushed out of the line-up in attempts to go bigger with Jason Collins or Zaza Pachulia at center instead of Horford, the switch is notable.
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