The Washington Wizards couldn’t hold their 2-point halftime lead, dropping yet another close game in the 122-120 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. In a game that was so evenly matched, it came down to which team limited their turnovers more, and with Washington turning the ball over 19 times, a close loss followed.
Both teams brought their shooting shoes for the mid-week matchup. Atlanta shot 53% from the field and 41.4% from beyond the arc. For Washington, it went 56% from the field and 41.4% from 3. The Wizards did, also, shoot better from the charity stripe, but the Hawks made it to such a location more often, led by 6 attempts from Dejounte Murray and Clint Capela.
Coach Unseld Jr. had many options available to choose from tonight, but only chose 5 of the 10 available off the bench. This was because, though, the guys in pink were finding a rhythm offensively. Beal, Kuzma, and Porzingis all eclipsed the 20-point mark.
Porzingis passed that mark and some more, scoring a new season-high 43 points in the loss. 21 of the 43 points came from trey ball range as he hit on 7 of his 10 3-point attempts. The 7-footer would also bring in 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
Now, 5 rebounds for a guy who is 7 feet tall might sound underwhelming, but when Kuzma swallows up 10 rebounds and Avdija brings in 8 off the bench, it makes it more understandable. Kuz would add 25 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals to his stat line.
Beal, who was coming off a 32-point night in the win over Detroit, accumulated 24 points, 8 assists, and 3 steals. It was an unproductive 24 points, as he shot 42% from the field and failed to hit a 3-pointer, but Beal scoring 20+ and staying healthy is the best thing to see if you’re a Wizards fan.
Nobody was outstanding off the bench, even Monte Morris, who found himself on the bench in his first game of March as he was coming off an injury. However, Delon Wright, filled Morris’ role quite well, dishing out 6 assists and recording 3 steals (a pretty Monte stat line).
And while Trae Young was 2 points shy of a 30-point night (he would also hand out 10 assists for a double-double), no other Hawks player hit the 20-point mark. They all just played great team basketball, with 7 players reaching double figures in points.
Atlanta was outrebounded and outscored in the paint, but played a great defensive game, racking up 11 steals and 5 blocks as a team. The 5 blocks were 4 better than what Washington managed through 4 quarters.
At the end of the game, it was the little things that picked away at the Wizards, especially in the second half, causing them to drop another game to an Eastern Conference opponent.
The loss sets Washington back to 31-35. However, they remain in the last Play-In spot in the Eastern Conference. They will run things back with Atlanta on Friday with tip-off scheduled for 7 pm EST in the District.
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