Hawks navigate games without Porziņģis and Risacher. Both stars sidelined at least a week, forcing lineup adjustments and testing resilience.
The Atlanta Hawks are learning, again, what it means to compete while waiting on key pieces, as injuries continue to shape both their rotation and their margin for error.
Kristaps Porziņģis and Zaccharie Risacher will miss at least another week as they continue to recover, leaving the Hawks without two central figures at opposite ends of the roster. Both players are expected to be reevaluated in about a week, according to the team.
Porziņģis, dealing with left Achilles tendinitis, sat out his sixth straight game Monday when Atlanta hosted the Milwaukee Bucks. It is another frustrating interruption in a season that has already been disrupted by injuries and illness for the veteran big man. His absence has forced Atlanta to adjust its frontcourt balance, particularly against physical teams that punish mistakes on the glass.
Risacher, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, also missed his sixth consecutive game with a left knee bone contusion. The Hawks have leaned heavily on their remaining wings in his absence, asking younger players to absorb defensive assignments and offensive responsibilities that typically come with less margin for inconsistency.
Those thin margins were evident Monday in a 112-110 loss to the Bucks, a game that swung sharply between collapse and resilience. Atlanta trailed by as many as 23 points in the third quarter before finding life on the defensive end and clawing back into contention.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker led all scorers with 32 points, adding six rebounds and six assists in a performance that kept Atlanta within striking distance. Jalen Johnson finished with 28 points, 16 rebounds and six assists, continuing to shoulder an expansive role on both ends. CJ McCollum provided 17 points off the bench.
For Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded 21 points, 16 rebounds and six assists, anchoring the Bucks during Atlanta’s late push.
The Hawks’ comeback gained traction midway through the third quarter. After surrendering a 3-pointer to AJ Green, Atlanta reshuffled its lineup and began ending possessions with defensive rebounds. Dyson Daniels generated back-to-back steals that Johnson and rookie Asa Newell turned into layups, sparking a nearly six-minute 18-6 run that cut the deficit to 80-72 by the end of the quarter.
Atlanta’s offensive drought from long range underscored how narrow the path to a comeback had become. The Hawks went more than 23 minutes of game time without making a shot beyond 13 feet. Their first 3-pointer did not fall until 27.2 seconds remained in the first half, when Johnson collapsed the defense and kicked the ball out to McCollum on the wing.
In the closing seconds, Atlanta nearly completed the rally. Alexander-Walker knocked down a clutch 3 with 12.6 seconds remaining to pull the Hawks within one. After Ryan Rollins split a pair of free throws, Atlanta, out of timeouts, rushed the ball up the floor. McCollum lost his dribble as the Bucks crowded him, forcing a one-handed, off-balance jumper that came up short.
Hawks coach Quin Snyder addressed the final possession with a focus on process rather than outcome.
“Those are situations that you work on in practice,” Snyder said. “It was one of the ones we had touched. I really trust CJ with the ball. Thought we got it into a position where he was going to get one, he was going to kick it out and the ball just got tipped. So it’s our default.”
Snyder also pointed to the team’s discipline during extended shooting struggles.
“As a whole team, we were one of 22 from 3 (in the first half). We have better shooters than that, but we were getting great looks,” Snyder said. “It’s really easy when that happens to stop doing the things that got us those shots. You can lose your resolve to keep playing that way.”
For Atlanta, that energy will again be tested as it waits on Porziņģis and Risacher to heal. Until then, the Hawks remain reliant on resilience, depth, and precision to stay competitive.
The Hawks travel to Memphis to face the Grizzlies on Wednesday at FedExForum.