Atlanta Hawks Beat Washington Wizards 122-120
Summary
The Atlanta Hawks entered Wednesday night's game against the Washington Wizards with their backs up against the wall and did not disappoint. Atlanta overcame a 15-point deficit to defeat Washington 122-120.
Kristaps Porzingis was unguardable for the entire game, scoring an efficient 43 points. Kyle Kuzma and Bradley Beal chipped in 25 and 24 points, respectively. Washington pushed Atlanta's perimeter defenders to the brink, hitting 41.4% of their three-pointers.
However, Atlanta continues to hang tough throughout the first few games in the Quin Snyder era. Trae Young pushed the pace from the opening tip and finished with 28 points and ten assists. More importantly, the undersized guard's defensive effort has been markedly better.
Atlanta matched Washington's 41.4% three-point shooting, thanks partly to John Collins snapping out of his shooting slump with 4-7 made threes. Atlanta had seven players score in double-digits and forced their way to the line nine more times than their opponents.
Atlanta improves to 33-33, while Washington falls to 31-35 on the season. Both teams have Thursday off before running it back on Friday night. The rematch carries heavy postseason implications for the Southeast Division rivals.
Stats
Hawks Leaders
Trae Young - 28 PTS, 10 AST
Dejounte Murray - 17 PTS, 6 AST
Bogdan Bogdanovic - 14 PTS, 8 REB
Wizards Leaders
Kristaps Porzingis - 43 PTS, 5 REB
Kyle Kuzma - 25 PTS, 10 REB
Bradley Beal - 24 PTS, 8 AST
