The Hawks help their playoff chances by knocking off the Bucks.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 23 points to lead the Atlanta Hawks to an impressive 131-113 road win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.

It was the Hawks’ fifth straight win, with the win coming in just behind the Bucks in the standings fighting for the final play-in spot.

Five other Hawks scored in double figures, including 20 from Wisconsin native Jalen Johnson, who had a team-high nine assists. Onyeka Okongwu added 21 points with eight rebounds. Dyson Daniels had 14 points and a team-high 10 boards.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, limited after an injury, led Milwaukee with 24 points in just 26 minutes. Kyle Kuzma, who played zero minutes in Milwaukee’s final game due to a “coaches decision,” scored 16 points off the bench.

Both offenses got off to a hot start in this one, Milwaukee especially getting it done in the opening quarter.

The Bucks shot a whopping 73 percent from the floor in the opening frame, including 6-for-9 from deep, to take a 38-25 advantage heading into Game 2.

The Hawks were unfazed when they came back and caught up with the hosts’ offense in the second. Both teams shot over 60 percent from the field in the hold, with Milwaukee holding a slim 71-66 advantage.

Atlanta continued its momentum after halftime, but Milwaukee failed. The Hawks outscored the Bucks 23-5 to open the third quarter to a 12-point advantage. They entered in fourth place, 98-89.

Despite their efforts, Milwaukee was unable to get back into contention. After the first quarter, the Hawks cruised to an 87-60 lead over the Bucks until midway through the fourth quarter.

The Bucks started 11-of-19 from deep and went 2-of-16 from beyond the arc in the second half.

Milwaukee had a chance to take a potentially at-large tiebreaker in the season series against Atlanta, but the three-game series now remains 1-1.

–Field level media