Advantages frittered in Hawks' loss

By Ken Sugiura

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

They had their chances.

In a haunting Game 5 loss Wednesday, the Hawks squandered a series of advantages in the biggest game of the season and perhaps the biggest of coach Mike Woodson's tenure in Atlanta.

The Hawks led by as many as 13 points in the third quarter on the strength of a 13-2 run. However, over their next five possessions, given the opportunity to bury Milwaukee even deeper, the Hawks missed four shots and two free throws and lost the ball on a turnover. The lead was reduced to eight points by the end of the third quarter.

The Hawks, center Al Horford in particular, were able to get the Milwaukee big men in deep foul trouble. Starting center Kurt Thomas played just 21 minutes, and backup Dan Gadzuric got flagged with five fouls, leaving Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles to send in little-used Primoz Brezec into the game. Forwards Luc Mbah a Moute and Ersan Ilyasova were among those tasked with stopping the All-Star Horford. Yet Horford scored only five points in the fourth quarter, three of them on a desperation 3-pointer at the end of the game.

Forward Marvin Williams played one of his finest games of the season, scoring 22 points on 8-of10 shooting and getting to the free-throw line six times. However, he had limited opportunities in the fourth quarter and scored two points, making his only attempt in the quarter.

"It was great to see him break out into a solid game," Woodson said. "Unfortunately for him, we didn't reap the benefits of it."

Shot selection betrayed the Hawks in the fourth quarter. As has often been the case in losses, the Hawks resorted to jump shots rather than work the ball inside. Remarkably, the Hawks did not go to the free-throw line once in the fourth quarter while Milwaukee shot 18 fourth-quarter free throws, making 15.

Said Woodson, "We were terrible in the half court executing down the stretch."

While the Hawks delivered an improved defensive efforts on Wednesday -- they were better on switches and rotations, and made the shots tougher for point guard Brandon Jennings -- they also had the benefit of the Bucks having a poor shooting night.

Milwaukee missed a series of shots, particularly in the first half, that they might normally be expected to make.

Aside from Jennings, Milwaukee shot 10-for-32 in the first half. The Hawks, however, didn't fare much better, shooting 40.9 percent in the first half. They led by only three points at the half.

"When the ball went up to start the game, it didn't appear either team had normal intensity for a Game 5," Skiles said.

Perhaps the biggest opportunity lost was home-court advantage. A 14-game home winning streak went out the window, and the Hawks head back out on the road, where they've lost eight of their past 10.

Said Woodson, "We had our chances, and we let this one slip away."