The Atlanta Hawks continued their home stand Monday afternoon, where they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 110-112.
Around this time last year, there was some controversy surrounding the Hawks. The NBA, due to scheduling conflicts, elected not give Atlanta a home game on MLK Day, ending a long-running annual tradition.
The league corrected itself this season, giving the Hawks the first game of the day at State Farm Arena. It was, without a doubt, the correct decision.
Head Coach Quin Snyder acknowledged how appreciated the decision was during his pregame media availability, saying, "It's always an honor to play on MLK day” in his opening remarks.
Both teams came into this matchup with plenty to prove. It’s been a rocky start to 2026 for both the Hawks and Bucks, with each entering the MLK Day game having lost three straight.
Not only was this matchup important for building momentum, but it had large playoff race implications. Before the game, the two teams were separated by just 1.5 games in the Eastern Conference standings, with the Hawks at tenth and the Bucks at eleventh.
Dyson Daniels, who had missed Atlanta’s last game with an ankle injury, was available to make his return. Him being inserted back into the starting lineup gave the team some much-needed balance on both ends of the floor.
The Great Barrier Thief returned and immediately made his presence felt
Daniels got off to a hot start. A hot start for him, however, is different than a hot start for many other quality guards around the league. In the first quarter, he put up 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists, driving at will and finishing with ease against a weak Milwaukee interior.
The rest of the Hawks were unable to replicate his early dominance. As a team, they only scored 19 points in the first 12 minutes.
As the first half progressed, Atlanta's offensive struggles continued. They couldn't knock down a three to save their lives. Out of their first 21 attempts from beyond the arc, Atlanta connected on none of them.
The only reason this game remained somewhat competitive entering the second half was because of Atlanta's defensive pressure, led by none other than Dyson Daniels.
In the third quarter, on top of his undeniable impact on the defensive end, Daniels was Atlanta's best offensive player. He was acting as a true two-way facilitator, scoring seven points and dishing out five assists. His activity on and off the ball helped Atlanta shave the deficit to just eight points entering the final frame.
Up to this point in the game, Daniels had played 22 minutes, while newcomer CJ McCollum had only played 17 himself. In his first four games with the Hawks, McCollum had the highest usage rate on the team.
Through three quarters, it was clear that Coach Snyder was trying to reinforce what made the Hawks so successful before the blockbuster trade. For the most part, it worked. While it certainly wasn't a good offensive game, Atlanta's team defense drastically improved with this new lineup decision.
In the final minutes of the game, Snyder opted to close with both Daniels and McCollum on the floor. This elite combination of offense and defense led the Hawks all the way back, almost helping them secure an impressive comeback victory.
This closing lineup is working wonders for the Hawks.
— Zach Langley (@langleyatl) January 19, 2026
Both CJ and Nickeil are lighting the Bucks up.
It's a four-point game.
After Monday afternoon's matchup, the solution to the lineup integration issue seems to be clear: give Dyson many more minutes than CJ, but play them together as much as possible, specifically in late-game scenarios.