The Hawks entertained the home crowd of 15,042 with an exciting match against the Washington Wizards at the Philips Arena beating them 116 – 96. Joe Johnson and Josh Smith lead team effort in a win over the visiting team. The Wizards
entered the game, looking for their first road win of the season, but Atlanta won by absolutely dominating the paint. It was the Hawks’ 11th straight win over the Wizards and sixth straight over them at the same court (Philips Arena).
Prominent Players
Joe Johnson played one of his best games, scoring 21 points, capped by 5 assists and 5 rebounds for the Hawks. Josh Smith (20 points, 5 assists, and 14 rebounds), Al Horford (15 points and 13 rebounds), and Jamal Crawford (15 points,
2 assists, and 2 rebounds) joined Johnson in double figures, hitting some big shots in the final minutes to cement the victory over a feisty Wizards squad.
Gilbert Arenas led the Wizards with 21 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds, but many of those came in the fourth quarter. Nick Young followed him and scored 20 points grasped by 4 rebounds. Andray Blatche contributed 12 points, a
single assist and 4 rebounds.
Game Story
The Hawks kept complete hold of their opponents during the four quarters of the game.
The Hawks stated the first quarter of the game with pace and scored 28 points. Crawford dunked two 3-pointers for the Hawks. Washington was held to a season-low 18 points in the first quarter with the Hawks leading by 10 points
(28 – 18).
The Hawks outrebounded the Wizards, extending their lead to 17 points (53 – 36) at the end of first half. Arenas did all he could for the Wizards and had a 3-pointer with 05:00 remaining in the first half of the game.
Josh Smith gave the Hawks a 21-point lead midway through the third quarter with a left-handed dunk. The Hawks led the third with a huge margin of 26 points (89 – 63).
Wizards forward Andray Blatche played the game incredibly though left it in the third and did not return after colliding with Smith on an offensive rebound attempt. He had been poked in both eyes.
The Hawks’ Coach Larry Drew was confident of their strong hold on the game, rested his starters in the fourth quarter. The Wizards made sincere efforts during the final phase of the game to cut the deficit, but all in vain, the
Hawks stamped their ninth victory of the season, 116 – 96.
Turning Point
Arenas’ 3-pointer cut the Hawks’ lead to eight with 5 minutes left in the second quarter of the game. Over the next 18 minutes, Washington was outscored 51-22, a run that ended with three free throws by Jamal Crawford.
Net Result
The Wizards are now 5-9 with the loss. Atlanta is 9-7 with this win.
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