Hawks stifle Wizards’ rally, move to 1-0 in NBA Cup

The Hawks staved off multiple Wizards rallies and not only picked up a third consecutive win, but also moved to 1-0 in NBA Cup play.

They downed the Wizards 139-132 despite missing several pieces in their frontcourt.

The efforts of Onyeka Okongwu and Lu Dort helped minimize any damage from Wizards bigs Alex Sarr and Deandre Ayton.

Quick stats: The Hawks had seven players finish with double-digit scoring. They finished with 38 assists, their NBA-leading seventh game of the season with 30 or more assists.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 28 points. Onyeka Okongwu had 22 points and 9 rebounds, while Lu Dort had 25 points and 7 rebounds. Dyson Daniels had 13 points, 9 rebounds and 12 assists.

Wizards guard Trae Young had 23 points and 10 assists, while Kyshawn George had 33 points and seven assists.

Key moment

The Hawks couldn’t close the door on the Wizards in the fourth quarter, and a Dort foul on a Trae Young 3-point attempt with just over three minutes left almost swung the momentum. But Dort made up for it with a 3 on the other end.

Then Dort made another jumper with 1:51 to play, further pushing back the Wizards’ attempt to gain control.

Dort’s play down the stretch gave the Hawks a steadying presence.

Highlight play

The Hawks want plenty of off-ball movement, especially as they look to play with pace. So early in the game, Kingston Flemings relocated a lot as the Hawks picked apart the Wizards’ defense.

With 7:23 to play in the first quarter, Flemings curled off a screen from Okongwu and cut to the basket. He caught a bounce pass down the lane from Alexander-Walker and finished the play with a layup.

Then a little under 30 seconds later, he dribbled to the elbow and found Daniels running to the post. As two Wizards defenders cut off Daniels, Flemings went to the right wing. Daniels kicked it out to him, and Flemings knocked down the 3.