Surely, the Hawks can’t enjoy playing from this far behind.
But you might not know it.
The Hawks fell behind by 18 points, closed to within two, before dropping a 108-101 decision to the Wizards Saturday night at the Verizon Center. The loss came one night after the Hawks erased a 17-point deficit in a win over the Mavericks.
The Hawks (9-9, 4-6 road) have lost four of their past five games, saved only be the dramatic win Friday.
The Hawks got to within two points, 81-79, after a Paul Millsap 3-pointer with 9:30 remaining. The shot capped a 9-2 run to start the final period.
However, the Hawks failed to execute down the stretch. After narrowing the gap, they committed two straight turnovers and Pero Antic missed a 3-pointer late in the shot clock. The Wizards pushed the lead back to eight and the Hawks could never fully recover.
Paul Millsap had 23 points to lead the Hawks, including four 3-pointers. Al Horford (16 points), Jeff Teague (15), Cartier Martin (12), DeMarre Carroll (11) and Shelvin Mack (11) were the other double-digit scorers.
The Wizards (8-9, 4-2 home) won their second straight over the Hawks in Washington, D.C.
John Wall led the Wizards with a game-high 26 points. He had a double-double with 12 assists. Trevor Ariza added 24 points and Martell Webster added 19 points. Each had five 3-pointers as the Wizards made 12 of 24 from long range.
The Hawks fell behind by 18 points, 66-48, after the Wizards started the third quarter with a 12-4 run. The gap closed to just four points, 72-68, with a 20-6 run. The Wizards had just two 3-pointers in the span. The Hawks deficit was nine, 79-70, entering the final quarter.
The Wizards led by as many as 11 points in the first half and took a 54-44 advantage into the intermission.
The Hawks trimmed an eight-point deficit to one, 38-37, midway through the second quarter. The Wizards responded with a 13-3 run, including three 3-pointers, all after coach Randy Wittman got a technical foul for arguing a loose ball foul call on Ariza.
The Hawks struggled from the field in the first half as they shot 35.9 percent (14 of 39) and committed 10 turnovers. They were 28.6 percent (2 of 7) from 3-point range.
Teague was injured with 2:59 remaining in the half while attempting a layup. Marcin Gortat was credited with a block as Teague went down and injured his left side. Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer was hit with a technical foul for arguing the call. Teague suffered a rib contusion.
The Hawks end the two-game road trip in San Antonio Monday.
