The Hawks didn’t fall victim to a classic trap game — but they came close for most of three quarters.
Home after a six-game road trip, where they won the first game but finished 2-4, the Hawks rallied to defeat the Wizards 102-88 on Friday night.
The Wizards won their 10th game of the season Thursday and were on the verge of their 11th a day later, leading by as many as six points early in the third quarter.
However, the Hawks closed the third quarter on an 18-6 run. Josh Smith scored the first eight points of the third to close the Hawks within two points, 60-58. The Hawks got 3-pointers from Joe Johnson, Kirk Hinrich and Jannero Pargo on the decisive run. They led 71-64 at the end of the quarter.
A 3-pointer by Smith early in the fourth quarter pushed the Hawks’ lead to 10 points. With 6:17 remaining in the final period their lead was 14 points, and the rout was on.
During the team’s afternoon walk-through, Hawks coach Larry Drew expressed to his team the importance of not taking the lowly Wizards lightly.
“We have to focus on us,” Drew said before the game. “I tell these guys, regardless who our opponent is, our focus has to be us and what we need to do. We can’t look at a Washington Wizard record and go out there and expect that team to lie down because that team is still playing hard. ... Under no circumstance can we take a team like that lightly.”
Johnson led the Hawks (25-19) with a game-high 34 points, tying his season high. He scored 15 first-quarter points, half the Hawks’ total after the first 12 minutes. He was 6-of-7 from the field, including three 3-pointers. Johnson scored 18 first-half points. The Hawks are 14-2 when Johnson scores 20 or more points.
Smith finished with 23 points and seven rebounds. He tied Dikembe Mutombo for sixth on the Hawks’ all-time list for offensive rebounds (1,228). Smith has scored 20 or more points in eight of past nine games. Teague added 14 points.
The Hawks, who snapped a two-game losing streak, extended their home win streak to eight games over the Wizards, who last won at Philips Arena on Jan. 11, 2008. The Hawks also kept their sixth-place position in the Eastern Conference playoff race. A loss to the Wizards, combined with a Celtics win over the Kings late Friday, would have dropped the Hawks to seventh, a half-game behind Boston.
The Wizards led 54-50 at halftime, thanks to a 17-4 run midway through the second quarter. The Hawks led by seven points before Shelvin Mack and Roger Mason made back-to-back 3-pointers to ignite the run. The Wizards capitalized with 15 points off turnovers in the first half.
The Wizards (10-33) were led by Trevor Booker with 18 points. The Hawks limited John Wall to 14 points. The Wizards point guard concerned Drew before the game.
“In playing against one of the fastest guys in the league, our transition defense is going to be vital,” Drew said. “We are really going to have to do a good job of getting back and building a wall and not allow that early penetration.”
The Wizards played short-handed without Nene and Brian Cook, who have yet to join the team after Thursday’s three-team NBA trade-deadline deal.
The Hawks, who also defeated the Wizards by 18 points in December, will play in Washington in eight days.
