Hawks fall against the Wizards, 122-111

After squeezing out a win last night against the New Orleans Pelicans, the Hawks couldn’t keep it going against the Washington Wizards, losing 122-111.

Both teams were coming off the first game of a back-to-back, and both secured victories against their opponents.

Unlike yesterday’s first quarter, the Hawks got off to a fast start on offense as Clint Capela led the charge with six early points. John Collins continued his dunk tour with an out of bounds pass from Trae Young, which was one of just eight of Young’s first quarter assists.

The Hawks weren't the only team scorching in the quarter, as the Wizards joined in on the fun and stayed toe-to-toe with the Hawks in the quarter with a collective group effort, and led 33-32 at the end of the first.

Bradley Beal started rolling for the Wizards in the second quarter, scoring nine early points and giving Washington a 44-36 lead. They stayed hot from the perimeter, with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope shooting 3-of-4 from three.

The Hawks’ struggles from the perimeter carried over in this game (4-of-12 from three in the first half), but from the field shot they 56%, as a few shots in the paint cut the Wizards lead down to 55-49 midway through the second.

Beal continued to hurt the Hawks finishing the second half with 17 points, and Atlanta went into the locker room trailing 64-55.

The Wizards extended their lead to 20 in the third quarter, and the Hawks couldn't quite weather the storm as their poor shooting continued. The Hawks eventually got into a groove late in the third quarter, cutting the Wizards lead to as much as 12, but finishing the quarter trailing 100-86.

There was some renewed energy to start the fourth, as the Hawks second unit went on a 11-2 run led by Cam Reddish and Lou Williams to cut the Wizards lead down to 10.

The Wizards responded with a Davis Bertans three, and Beal threw down a monster dunk to bring their lead back to 12.

The Hawks continued to chip away, and Collins led the charge with consecutive shots to cut the lead to five, but Beal (27 points) responded once again to extend their lead.

In the end, the Hawks couldn't make enough shots to get over the hump, and the Wizards secured the victory.

John Collins finished the game with 28 points (14-of-16 FG) and 12 rebounds, and Cam Reddish finished with 20 points. Young added 15 points and 13 assists.

The Hawks will head to Philadelphia to face the 76ers on Saturday night.