The woes continue.
The Hawks dropped their sixth straight game as the Wizards used a second-half rally to post a 101-97 victory Saturday night at the Verizon Center.
The Wizards built a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter after the Hawks got as close as three points. The Hawks rallied and pulled to within two points, 99-97, on a three-point play by Jeff Teague with 39.8 seconds left. The and-one basket came after John Wall missed two free throws. After Marcin Gortat missed in close the Hawks had a chance after Pero Antic corralled the rebound.
After a timeout with 11.1 seconds left, Teague missed a driving layup in traffic. Drew Gooden got the rebound and was fouled. He made two free throws with 7.8 seconds left. Paul Millsap missed a 3-pointer and Antic missed off the rebound as time expired on the comeback effort.
The Hawks (31-41) have won just six times in the past 26 games. The must win their remaining 10 regular-season games to finish at .500. Despite the recent slide, the Hawks hold a 1-1/2 game lead (two in the loss column) over the idle Knicks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Hawks, missing two starters in Kyle Korver and DeMarre Carroll, dropped the season series to the Wizards, 3-1.
Jeff Teague led the Hawks with 19 points. The Hawks also got double-digit scoring from Paul Millsap (17 points), Antic (13), Cartier Martin (13) and Lou Williams (12).
The Wizards (38-35) won their second straight after defeating the Pacers at home Friday night. John Wall led the Wizards with a game-high 25 points.
The Hawks could not hold a nine-point third-quarter lead. The Wizards used an 11-2 run to end the period to take a 75-71 into the final period. The Hawks managed just two free throws in the final 3:40 and went 0-for-6 from the field during the stretch.
The Hawks took a 52-50 lead into halftime. They built a 10-point first-quarter lead, 21-11, by making 7 of 8 shots to start the game. The Wizards closed the first quarter on a 17-6 run to take a one-point lead.
The Wizards pushed their second-quarter lead to as many as six points, 40-34. The Hawks used an 11-2 run near the end of the period to regain their advantage. The Hawks ended the first half shooting 55 percent (22 of 40). They were hurt by eight turnovers that led to 13 Wizards’ points.
The Hawks host the 76ers Monday night.
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