Hawks hold off Wizards late in 117-114 wire-to-wire win

The Atlanta Hawks took on the Washington Wizards on Friday evening as the visitors attempted to pick up their second win in as many nights. The Hawks were able to get the victory in this one, holding off the Wizards by a score of 117-114 while never trailing in the contest.

The Hawks got off to a hot start offensively in this one, leading 33-25 after the first quarter. De’Andre Hunter was active early with 11 first-quarter points.

Atlanta shot 54.5% from the floor in the opening period. Hunter led Atlanta with 17 points in the first half, helping power the Hawks to a 68-59 lead through two quarters. John Collins tallied six points and two rebounds in the first half in his return to action after a seven-game absence due to a foot strain. Trae Young had 11 points and five assists at the break.

The Hawks and Wizards exchanged blows in the third quarter, and the result after Bogdan Bogdanovic’s second buzzer-beating bucket of the game was a 93-84 lead heading to the final period for the guests.

Atlanta shot just 29% from the floor in the third but had eight offensive rebounds in the quarter.

Washington was able to hang around for much of the fourth quarter, but found themselves trailing the Hawks 111-103 with 3:01 remaining.

The Wizards had cut the deficit to five by the 1:01 mark, when Atlanta challenged an out of bounds call that didn’t go their way. The Hawks’ challenge was unsuccessful, giving Washington a chance with the ball down two possessions.

Collins had a huge block on Raul Neto at the rim to get the stop for Atlanta, helping lock down the wire-to-wire victory for the Hawks. Washington got as close as one point after a three from Neto inside the final minute, but Atlanta was able to make their free throws and hold on.

Hunter led Atlanta with 26 points in the win, with Young adding 25 points (6-of-22 from the floor) and eight assists. Collins finished with nine points and six rebounds in his return.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led the Wizards with 28 points (10-12 from the floor, 6-for-6 from 3), with Kyle Kuzma adding 22 points and 11 assists.

The Hawks will be back in action Monday as they stay on the road for a battle vs. the Detroit Pistons.

Stay tuned.