NEW YORK (AFP) — Rookie A.J. Griffin scored 24 points from the bench as the Atlanta Hawks ended the Milwaukee Bucks’ unbeaten start to the season with a 117-98 victory on Monday.
Griffin was one of six Hawks players to make double digits as Atlanta shrugged off the absence of star playmaker Trae Young to hand the Bucks their first defeat of the 2022-2023 campaign.
The Bucks went into the game seeking a 10th straight win after a 9-0 start left them as the NBA’s only unbeaten team.
But Atlanta recovered superbly after being outscored 36-25 in the first quarter before trailing by six points at halftime.
The game swung decisively in Atlanta’s favor in the third period as the Hawks’ scoring erupted with 37 points.
Atlanta wrapped up victory with a 28-18 fourth quarter that saw the Hawks improve to 7-3 for the season.
Dejounte Murray led the Hawks’ scorers with 25 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists.
But the real stars of the show for Atlanta came from a potent bench led by teenage rookie Griffin, who combined for 59 points to set up the win.
Justin Holiday drained four three-pointers in a 14-point contribution while Onyeka Okongwu added 12.
