Atlanta HawksAtlanta Hawks vs. Milwaukee BucksMilwaukee Bucks Pick Center

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Time: 8:00 PM EST Venue: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wis., 53203 MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee Bucks, playing some of their best basketball of the season, try to wrap up their four-game homestand on a high note Friday night when they meet the Atlanta Hawks at the Bradley Center. After having a four-game winning streak snapped earlier in the week against San Antonio, the Bucks bounced back Wednesday night with a 115-107 victory over Portland. They won for the sixth time in their last eight games to move two games over .500 for the first time this season. Much of that success can be tied to a massive improvement in Milwaukees defense, which is the leagues stingiest in terms of field goal percentage at 42.8 percentage. And while opponents are attempting an NBA-high 31 3-pointers per game, they make 31.8 of those shots, the lowest percentage in the league. The numbers are reminiscent of coach Jason Kidds first year in Milwaukee, when the Bucks led the league in both categories and made a surprising run to the postseason." I think were getting used to our length," Kidd said Wednesday, when the Blazers attempted 40 but made only 17 3-pointers. "Were guarding the 3-point line a little bit better than we have in the past." But when were making teams miss, we just have to rebound the ball. We want to get up in that top-10 for rebounding -- I think were 15th or 17th, somewhere in there -- so we can get better. If we can get better in that area, thats going to make our defense even better." Offensively, the Bucks young tandem of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker are starting to take a step forward. Antetokounmpo posted his second triple-double of the season Wednesday while Parker scored a team-high 27 points. Parker has scored 20 or more points in three of his last four games and is averaging 21.8 points on 50 percent shooting during that stretch, leaving his teammate impressed." (Jabari) is a beast right now," Antetokounmpo said. "The team is rolling right now. Were feeling good." Milwaukees defense didnt fare so well in its first meeting with the Hawks this season. Atlanta connected at a 48.6 percent clip -- the highest shooting percentage allowed by Milwaukee this season -- while holding the Bucks to 39.8 percent shooting for a 107-100 victory on Nov. 16. The Hawks are no slouch either on the defensive end and come into the game third in the NBA with 9.3 steals per game, second in forcing turnovers (16.3 per game) and fourth in turning those miscues into points (18.3). But Atlantas offense is struggling, especially inside where their 43.2 points per game rank 18th in the league. The Hawks scored 58 points in the paint Wednesday and the result was a 103-95 victory over Miami that snapped a seven-game losing streak. Dwight Howard, who scored 23 points in the contest, said better ball movement is key." On the offensive end we have to move the ball a lot better than we have in the past," Howard told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "We were doing a lot of things -- one pass and shot. We went from the top of the league in moving the ball and getting guys shots to the bottom half. We have to get back to just moving the ball and playing through motions."

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