The Washington Wizards narrowly escaped State Farm Arena with a 119-116 victory over the Hawks on Tuesday night. New Atlanta Head Coach Quin Snyder led the Hawks in his first game and received a loud ovation following the pre-game introductions. Former Hawk Delon Wright also returned to Atlanta for the first time since signing with the Wizards last off-season.
Both teams began the game with smooth-flowing offenses. Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma led the way for Washington, penetrating the Hawks’ interior defense for layups at the rim. John Collins had six early points, and De’Andre Hunter knocked down perimeter shots for Atlanta. The Wizards created the first separation in the contest taking a 17-10 lead, but the Hawks bounced right back to counter with a 6-0 run. Washington took a 21-16 lead with 4:17 left in the opening frame behind Beal’s hot shooting; he scored nine of their first 21 points. However, the Hawks ended the quarter on an 8-2 run to squash the Wizard’s lead, entering the second quarter with the game tied at 27.
The Hawks knew they had to improve their defensive intensity on Beal, who totaled 13 points in the first. Washington bullied Atlanta on the glass 18-7 for easy second-chance buckets. With 7:02 left in the second quarter, off a pick-and-roll, Young threw a perfect alley-oop to Clint Capela who slammed it over Wizards center Daniel Gafford, sending State Farm Arena fans into a frenzy. The game was tight through most of the quarter, but Atlanta pulled away late, entering halftime on an 18-9 run with a 56-52 lead. Young was the only Hawk to score in double digits with 10, while Kuzma and Beal carried Washington’s offense with 14 and 15 points, respectively.
Atlanta came out of halftime firing on all cylinders offensively. They scored 16 points in the first 4:15 seconds of the third quarter to take their biggest lead of the night at 72-64. Young had half of those 16, as he orchestrated the Hawks’ offensive attack aggressively. After falling behind 66-76, Washington fought back to close the deficit to five, setting the stage for a nail-biting fourth quarter. Young entered the final frame with 26, while Beal had 25 points.
Bogdan Bogdanovic was a flamethrower from beyond the arch all night, hitting 4-5 to give the Hawks a great start in the fourth. As Atlanta built a 108-100 lead with 6:03 left, they set themselves up to give Snyder his first win as head coach. However, Beal and the Wizards had other plans. Washington responded with an 8-0 run to bring the deficit to one. With 2:49 left, the Hawks led 113-112, but after a Beal driving layup, Atlanta never reclaimed the lead. Down 116-119 on the final possession, the Hawks got two great three-point looks for their superstar; however, Young, after hitting a clutch game-winner on Sunday, could not get them to fall, resulting in a heartbreaking defeat.
Dejounte Murray totaled 15 points but hit just 1-6 from beyond the arch. Hunter finished with an efficient 14 points (6-11 FG), and Capela put up a 13-point, 15-rebound double-double. Young led the offensive charge for Atlanta with 31 points and seven assists, while Saddiq Bey and Bogdanovic both hit four threes for 12 and 16 points, respectively.
For Washington, Beal was in the zone all night ending with 37 points and seven assists. Kuzma totaled 28 points, and Gafford added 13 points with 12 rebounds. The Wizards only had three double-digit scorers, but it was just enough to walk away with the victory.
Atlanta plays Washington three more times this season, including twice next week, as they look for revenge. Snyder’s next chance to claim his first Hawks victory at the helm comes Friday at home against the Portland Trail Blazers.
