Hawks hold off Wizards fightback as Alexander-Walker stars, 139-132

Atlanta beat Washington 139-132 on Friday 6 November at State Farm Arena, in front of 15 538 spectators. The Wizards had cut the deficit to 124-123 with 3 min 10 left, but the Hawks then outscored them 15 to 9 to close it out. Nickeil Alexander-Walker finished as his team's top scorer with 28 points, including a perfect 10 of 10 from the free-throw line.

There was a special edge to the evening: Trae Young returned to Atlanta, the franchise with which he built his NBA career, this time in a Washington jersey. The former Hawks point guard held his own as a scorer, with 23 points and 10 assists, but he also turned the ball over 8 times, and the Wizards were outscored by 13 points during his 37 minutes on the floor.

The game, scheduled for 1:00 in Brazzaville, was one-sided for two quarters before tightening up at the end. Atlanta led by as many as 14 points, while Washington never led by more than 4. The lead changed hands only twice. For the Hawks, Henri Veesaar, Mouhamed Gueye, Jock Landale, Jalen Johnson, Asa Newell and Keshon Gilbert were all ruled out. The Wizards were without Tristan Vukcevic, Jamir Watkins, Justin Champagnie, Reece Beekman and Anthony Davis.

Atlanta race to 20-10, Washington turn the first quarter around

The Hawks started strongly: 20-10 with 6 min 10 left in the first quarter. Washington answered with an 8-0 run, then a 9-0 burst that took them from 28-23 down to 28-32 up. The Wizards ended the period in front, 32-28, their biggest lead of the night.

Hawks regain control before the break

The second quarter changed everything. Atlanta strung together an 8-0 run to go from 36-36 to 44-36, then won the period 38-27. At halftime, the Hawks led 66-59. They kept going in the third quarter (39-35): 84-74 at the midpoint, then 105-91 with 14 seconds left in the period, a 14-point lead. Washington trimmed the gap to 105-94 heading into the final quarter.

Washington close to within one point, Atlanta shut the door

In the final quarter, Atlanta led 120-110 with six minutes left and 124-115 at 4 min 36. Over 1 min 26, the Wizards produced an 8-0 run to get back to 124-123. Washington won the quarter 38-34, but it was not enough.

Players of the game

Onyeka Okongwu did the work around the rim: 22 points on 8 of 12 shooting, 10 rebounds and 4 steals in 33 minutes. Luguentz Dort added 25 points, including 5 of 7 from three, and 7 rebounds. Dyson Daniels scored only 13 points, but he dished out 12 assists, grabbed 9 rebounds and posted a plus-minus of +17, the best on his team. Aaron Wiggins, off the bench, contributed 19 points in 29 minutes. Zuby Ejiofor added 10 points and 5 assists in 15 minutes. CJ McCollum, meanwhile, made just one of 10 shots in 23 minutes.

For the Wizards, Kyshawn George produced the best performance on the losing side: 33 points, 5 of 7 from three and 7 assists in 39 minutes. Tre Johnson scored 23 points off the bench, hitting 5 of 10 from three without a turnover. Trae Young scored 23 points and handed out 10 assists, but he turned the ball over 8 times, half of his team's 16, and finished with a plus-minus of -13. AJ Dybantsa grabbed 9 rebounds and made 4 steals, but hit only 3 of 13 shots. Alex Sarr had 13 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks before fouling out with 5 fouls, and Deandre Ayton pulled down 11 rebounds, 7 of them offensive, in 23 minutes.

The game in numbers

Atlanta led for 91% of the game, Washington for 6%. The difference came in the paint: 62 points for the Hawks, 50 for the Wizards. Almost everything else was level. Each team turned the ball over 16 times and took 14 offensive rebounds, fast-break play brought 11 points for Atlanta and 12 for Washington, and the benches produced 40 points for the Hawks against 44 for the Wizards, boosted by Tre Johnson's 23. From the free-throw line, both teams were nearly perfect: 19 of 20 for Atlanta, 22 of 24 for Washington.

Three takeaways

A lead built in the middle of the game. That is where the Hawks opened up their 14-point advantage, part of which they kept until the end.

Better ball movement. Atlanta had 38 assists to Washington's 28, making 52 of 98 shots (16 of 38 from three), and took 43 rebounds to 41. Both teams turned the ball over 16 times.

Washington shot well, but not well enough. The Wizards made 18 of 34 from three and 22 of 24 free throws, hitting 46 of 91 shots. Those numbers got them back into the game, but not over the line.

The SNA View

Atlanta deserved the win through better play across the whole game, not just through composure at the finish. What the numbers show is an opponent capable of fighting back, but one that took too long to get organised. Atlanta's 38 assists, 12 of them from Daniels, describe an offence that moves the ball until it finds the right shot. At the other end, Young's 8 turnovers weigh heavily in a game lost by seven points. Atlanta will nonetheless need to learn to close out games like this earlier: letting an opponent come back from 14 down to one point in the closing minutes remains a warning sign.

What's next: Atlanta are 4th in the Eastern Conference at 6-4 (standings as of 7 November) and host Brooklyn on 8 November at 1:30 Brazzaville time. Washington, 8th in the Eastern Conference at 4-5, travel to Oklahoma City the same day, at 2:00.