The Wizards cooled off the Hawks Monday.
It was Bradley Beal and John Wall that poured most of the water on the red-hot Hawks’ run of success. The Wizards guard combined for 52 points in a 117-102 victory over the Hawks Monday night at Philips Arena.
The Hawks (41-30) had their five-game win streak snapped and lost for just the third time in the past 13 games. The loss drops the Hawks out of the third spot in the Eastern Conference and they fell behind the idle Heat into fourth. In the crowded standings, just a half-game separates the Heat, Hawks, Celtics and Hornets for the 3-6 spots.
The Wizards (35-35) won their fifth straight as they inch back into the playoff race in the conference.
Jeff Teague led the Hawks with 23 points. Al Horford nearly missed a triple-double with 14 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
Wall had a game-high 27 points and 14 assists for the Wizards. Beal had 25 points. All five Wizards starters scored in double-figures. Beal (12) and Wall (10) combined for 22 of the Wizards’ 28 third-quarter points as the Wizards gained some separation.
“I think we can play a lot better,” Kyle Korver said. “They may still shoot really well but I don’t think we are happy with our defensive effort tonight, our effort and our attention to detail.”
The Wizards led by as many as seven points, 9-2, in the first few minutes after a fast start. The Hawks eventually answered with a 15-2 run between the first and second quarters to take their biggest lead at 33-27. The Wizards rallied to take the lead at the end of the third quarter and never trailed again. They outscored the Hawks 28-16 in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
The Wizards shot over 50 percent from the field, including a 52 percent clip from m3-point range.
“It wasn’t our best effort,” Kent Bazemore said. “You have to give them credit though. They played really well. They out-hustled us. Their energy was much higher than ours. It’s just one game. Look at our track record the last couple games. We’ve been doing really well. So, we’ll bounce back.”
The teams meet again on Wednesday in Washington, D.C.
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