Risacher scores 36, Daniels sets Hawks' steals record in 145-124 victory over the Bucks

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Zaccharie Risacher scored a season-high 36 points, Dyson Daniels added 22 points and five steals while becoming Atlanta's single-season leader, and the Hawks beat the slumping Milwaukee Bucks 145-124 on Sunday night.

Trae Young had 19 points and 19 assists, and Georges Niang finished with 17 points for the Hawks, who snapped a two-game skid.

Atlanta turned around the game after Milwaukee's blistering start and gained control in the third quarter, outscoring the Bucks 36-17 for a 118-92 lead entering the final period.

Milwaukee closed within 133-121 on two free throws by Kevin Porter Jr. with 4:40 remaining. Risacher hit three free throws to put the Hawks up 142-123 with just over 2 ½ minutes left.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 points, Porter scored 28 and Kyle Kuzma had 25 for the Bucks, who have lost four straight.

Milwaukee made 17 of 20 shots (85%) in the opening quarter, including 5 of 7 beyond the arc. Kuzma was 6 for 6, making both 3-pointers, for 14 points.

The Hawks then went ahead 82-75 at the break, their highest-scoring first half of the season. The Bucks shot 69% and Atlanta 57.1%, but the Hawks turned eight turnovers into 16 points.

Hawks: Daniels increased his NBA-leading total to 213 steals and passed Mookie Blaylock, who had 212 three times with the Hawks.

Bucks: Since March 5, when the Bucks were a season-best 11 games over .500, they have gone 4-9.

The Hawks opened the third quarter with a 17-6 run to extend their lead to 99-81.

Risacher and Daniels were a combined 22 of 36 from the field.

The Hawks host the Trail Blazers on Tuesday, and the Bucks host the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Atlanta Hawks' Trae Young (11) drives to the basket between Milwaukee Bucks' Pat Connaughton and Kevin Porter Jr. during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, right, drives to the basket against Atlanta Hawks' Onyeka Okongwu during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) and Brook Lopez (11) react to a call during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Atlanta Hawks' Mouhamed Gueye dunks during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Atlanta Hawks' Trae Young shoots during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Atlanta Hawks' Zaccharie Risacher (10) shoots against Milwaukee Bucks' Brook Lopez during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Weather forecasters sometimes warn of storms that unleash such unusual rain they are described as 100-year or even 500-year floods.

Here’s what to know about how scientists determine how extreme a flood is and how common these extreme events are becoming.

Scientists use math to help people understand how unusual a severe flood is and how to compare the intensity of one flood to another.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, one statistic scientists use is the percentage chance that a flood of a specific magnitude will happen. A 500-year flood means such an event has a 1 in 500 chance, or 0.2%, of occurring in a year.

Another concept scientists use is how frequently an event of a certain intensity is expected. For example, a meteorologist can look at the average recurrence interval of an anticipated flood and see that a similar event is only expected once every 25 years.

Agencies have preferred expressing the percent chance of a flood occurring rather than the recurrence interval because that statistic better represents the fact that rare floods can happen within a few years of each other. It's sort of like rolling a pair of dice and getting double six's twice in a row. It's rare, but statistically possible.

Another term people hear during an impending flood is that it could be a once-in-a-generation or once-in-a-lifetime event, a casual way of saying a flood could be unlike anything many people have experienced.

Houston, Texas, was struck by three 500-year flood events within 24 months from 2015 through 2017, according to local officials at the time. The events included Hurricane Harvey, the heaviest recorded rainfall ever in the U.S. Homes and businesses were destroyed and cars were swept away by the floods.

Although math can calculate how often to expect floods of specific magnitudes, nature has its own plans, including irregularity. Many interconnected systems in the environment, such as local weather patterns and larger events like El Nino, can contribute to the changing likelihood of floods.

Since the early 1900s, precipitation events have become heavier and more frequent across most of the U.S. and flooding is becoming a bigger issue, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Gases emitted by humans, like carbon dioxide and methane, are warming the atmosphere, allowing it to hold more water vapor. For every 1 degree of Fahrenheit that the temperature warms, the atmosphere can hold nearly 4% more water, which is a 7% increase for every 1 degree Celsius, said Victor Gensini, professor of atmospheric sciences at Northern Illinois University. That vapor eventually falls back to the ground as rain or snow. “We’ve absolutely seen a shift in the probability distribution of heavy rainfall over the last three decades,” Gensini said.

Other regions have experienced drought due to changing precipitation patterns. According to NASA, major droughts and periods of excessive precipitation have been occurring more frequently. Globally, the intensity of extreme wet and dry events is closely linked to global warming.

This story corrects the origin of calculations about 500-year flood events in Houston. They were calculated by local officials, not researchers at the University of Chicago.

Seth Borenstein contributed to this report from Washington, D.C.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

FILE - Cars are submerged on a freeway flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey near downtown Houston, Texas, on Aug. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)