Instant Takeaways From A Dominant Yet Potentially Costly Win For The Atlanta Hawks Over The Washington Wizards

Unsurprisingly, the Hawks dominated a Wizards team that was missing several starters, but their win came at a potentially significant price.

Feb 24, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Kyshawn George (18) goes to the basket over Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks haven't had many games where they've been obviously better than their opponent. Tonight was an exception.

The Wizards haven't exactly been at full strength over the past few games, but they actually beat the Pacers before losing two straight by a respectable margin. They didn't look like they belonged on the same court as the Hawks tonight. Atlanta only shot 26.1% from deep and 41% from the field to Washington's 44.7% from the field and 37% from deep. However, they thoroughly dominated on the scoreboard. Washington never led for a single minute of the game and at one point, the Hawks were winning by a whopping 38 points. The final score reflected the domination - Atlanta won a wire-to-wire 119-98 beatdown that was never in doubt.

This was never supposed to be a difficult game, but it would have been very easy for Atlanta to completely overlook their opponent and make this a closer game. They did no such thing. Five different Hawks finished with double-digit points, establishing themselves as the obvious favorites going into their repeat matchup against the Wizards on Thursday.

Total Takedown

Feb 24, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) dribbles against Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Ironically, the only area in which the Hawks struggled tonight was shooting. Atlanta's rebounding has been extremely poor this season and there aren't a lot of great passers on this roster outside of Jalen Johnson. However, Washington isn't a good enough team to take advantage of these relative weaknesses. Atlanta out-rebounded the Wizards, 57-39, and racked up 14 steals while only turning the ball over 10 times. The Hawks established a firm presence in the key with 56 points in the paint to Washington's 44 points.

There aren't many ways the Hawks could have lost this game tonight and they took care of the details to ensure this was the blowout it was supposed to be.

Kuminga In Control

Feb 24, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathon Kuminga (0) shown on the court against the Washington Wizards during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Jonathan Kuminga made his Hawks debut tonight and he did a nice job of stepping up to account for Jalen Johnson's absence. Kuminga threw down a thunderous dunk to introduce himself to Hawks fans and he finished with an impressive team-high 27 points, seven rebounds and four assists to go with two steals. He ran the floor well and surprisingly, made three of his four attempts from deep. It's hard to expect him to put these numbers up every night, but his athleticism clearly made a difference tonight and he had a very solid debut that showed few signs of rust.

Assuming he recovers well from this game, Kuminga should play again in the Hawks' second game against the Wizards. He'll get a tougher test against the Blazers on Sunday where Atlanta will be able to see how he affects them against a more NBA-level roster.

No JJ, No Problem - For Now

Feb 22, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; an Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) reacts after a basket against the Brooklyn Nets during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Clearly, the Hawks didn't miss Jalen Johnson too much tonight. There wasn't really a stage of the game where the Wizards threatened to come back and that speaks a lot to how badly they played tonight. Even so, it's a bit concerning that the Hawks ruled Johnson out so quickly. He was dealing with a left hip flexor, so it's entirely possible that Johnson sits against Washington on Thursday and possibly longer if the injury lingers.

Regardless, this is going to be a situation to watch for the Hawks. They need a fully healthy version of Johnson down the stretch if they have any chance of making the postseason and every game he's not in the lineup reduces their margin for error.

Vincent Victorious

Feb 24, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Sharife Cooper (13) passes the ball in front of Atlanta Hawks guard Gabe Vincent (4) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Gabe Vincent hasn't exactly been a banner acquisition for the Hawks since being acquired in the trade that sent Luke Kennard to the Lakers. The Hawks likely value the second-round pick they got in the deal more than Vincent himself. Even so, he had a pretty solid game tonight in limited minutes. He had 11 points in only 15 minutes and finished as a +24, which was the second-highest plus-minus on the team. If he can be consistently productive off the bench, there's a decent chance he can find his way onto an NBA roster as a backup guard with some defensive ability.

Buddy Hield didn't play in this game despite the lopsided score, suggesting that the coaching staff may view Vincent as a realistic option for backup guard minutes going forward. While it's likely an inconsequential decision, it's interesting that he's clearly earned some degree of trust from Quin Snyder down the stretch of what could be his last season in Atlanta.

After this win, the Hawks will get a day of rest before taking on the same Wizards team they just beat up on tonight before they welcome the Trail Blazers to town. If this game is any indication, it won't be very hard to repeat their dominance tonight one more time on Thursday. The main thing to track coming out of this game will be Johnson's status as the Hawks determine whether he'll be good to play for the upcoming stretch of games.