Kuzma, Wizards roll to 127-99 win in Hawks' worst offensive performance of the season
ATLANTA (AP) Kyle Kuzma scored 29 points and the Washington Wizards took advantage of the Atlanta Hawks' worst offensive night this season to roll to a 127-99 victory on Saturday.
Jordan Poole added 20 points for the Wizards, who snapped a six-game losing streak and improved their road record to 4-18 this season. It was their largest victory of the season.
“I thought we really played well tonight,” said Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. “Our overall energy and our creativity offensively. We played with the right amount of force on both sides.”
The Wizards held the Hawks to a season-low 34% shooting from the field. The Hawks also failed to score 100 points for the first time this season and ended their streak of 94 straight games with at least 100 points, the third-longest in NBA history.
The Hawks had beaten the Wizards all three games this season and six straight dating back to last season.
Trae Young had 21 points on 6-of-19 shooting for the Hawks, who trailed by 28 points at the end of the third quarter. The Hawks fell to 6-11 at home.
“We didn’t have a quarter over 30 (points). That’s not like us,” Young said. “We didn’t score 100. That’s not like us. It was just one of those nights. We played last night against (the Pacers), a team that runs a lot, and I guarantee (the Wizards) knew that and they pushed the pace and were physical and pushed it right back to us.”
Deni Avdija had 19 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, and was the primary defender on Young for the Wizards.
Hawks guard Dejounte Murray, who was questionable but played with a strained hamstring, had 11 points. That broke a streak of six straight games of scoring 20 or more. He has been the subject of trade speculation ahead of the NBA's Feb. 8 trade deadline.
On a freezing night in Atlanta, the Hawks were frigid on the floor. The Wizards, who ranked last in the NBA in points allowed per game at 125.9, held the league's fourth-highest scoring team to 31% shooting and 28 from behind the 3-point line in the first half.
“It can be deflating when you get the looks you want,” Young said. “We’re getting good shots and they are not going in. The first half, we were still playing pretty good defense, but also, we were missing shots we’re supposed to be making. It gives them a lift, too.”
Leading 75-60 midway through the third quarter, the Wizards put away the game with a 24-11 run to close the quarter. The Wizards led by double digits for the final 23 minutes.
“At times, we’ve had issues (playing with leads),” Unseld said. “We can get a little momentum, and then we can have one of those lulls and let people back into the game. We didn’t do that tonight. We stayed aggressive. We put our foot down and stretched that lead, which was big for us.”
UP NEXT
Wizards: Home against the Pistons on Monday.
Hawks: Host the Spurs on Monday afternoon in their annual home Martin Luther King Jr. Day game.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Daniel Gafford vs. Clint Capela (Jordan Poole gains possession) | ||
| 11:46 |  | Kyle Kuzma misses two point layup | ||
| 11:43 | | Clint Capela defensive rebound | ||
| 11:22 | | Hawks turnover (shot clock violation) | ||
| 11:02 | | Deni Avdija misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 10:58 | | Jalen Johnson defensive rebound | ||
| 10:47 | | Dejounte Murray misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:45 | | Tyus Jones defensive rebound | ||
| 10:41 | | Jordan Poole misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 10:37 | | Clint Capela defensive rebound | ||
| 10:29 | | +3 | Jalen Johnson makes three point jump shot (Dejounte Murray assists) | 0-3 |
| 10:19 | | Daniel Gafford turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 10:05 | | Trae Young misses two point driving layup | ||
| 10:02 | | Daniel Gafford defensive rebound | ||
| 9:59 | | Tyus Jones misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 9:56 | | Jalen Johnson defensive rebound | ||
| 9:50 | | Jalen Johnson misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 9:48 | | Wizards defensive rebound | ||
| 9:34 | | +3 | Kyle Kuzma makes three point jump shot (Tyus Jones assists) | 3-3 |
| 9:18 | | Dejounte Murray misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:16 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 9:13 | | +2 | Kyle Kuzma makes two point running dunk (Deni Avdija assists) | 5-3 |
| 8:53 | | +3 | Trae Young makes three point jump shot (Jalen Johnson assists) | 5-6 |
| 8:44 | | Clint Capela blocks Tyus Jones's two point driving layup | ||
| 8:40 | | Dejounte Murray defensive rebound | ||
| 8:36 | | Saddiq Bey misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 8:34 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 8:22 | | Tyus Jones misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:19 | | Jalen Johnson defensive rebound | ||
| 8:10 | | Jalen Johnson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:06 | | Saddiq Bey offensive rebound | ||
| 8:06 | | Deni Avdija shooting foul (Saddiq Bey draws the foul) | ||
| 8:06 | | +1 | Saddiq Bey makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 5-7 |
| 8:06 | | +1 | Saddiq Bey makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 5-8 |
| 7:56 | | Jordan Poole turnover (bad pass) (Saddiq Bey steals) | ||
| 7:50 | | Trae Young misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 7:47 | | Kyle Kuzma defensive rebound | ||
| 7:43 | | +2 | Deni Avdija makes two point running dunk (Kyle Kuzma assists) | 7-8 |
| 7:17 | | Saddiq Bey misses two point driving layup | ||
| 7:13 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 7:12 | | Deni Avdija turnover (lost ball) (Saddiq Bey steals) | ||
| 7:09 | | +2 | Clint Capela makes two point alley-oop dunk (Trae Young assists) | 7-10 |
| 6:52 | | +3 | Kyle Kuzma makes three point jump shot (Tyus Jones assists) | 10-10 |
| 6:38 | | Dejounte Murray misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 6:38 | | Saddiq Bey offensive rebound | ||
| 6:34 | | Saddiq Bey misses two point tip layup | ||
| 6:33 | | Jordan Poole defensive rebound | ||
| 6:26 | | Kyle Kuzma misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:24 | | Hawks defensive rebound | ||
| 6:24 | | Hawks 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:08 | | +2 | Trent Forrest makes two point driving floating jump shot | 10-12 |
| 5:52 | | +3 | Jordan Poole makes three point pullup jump shot (Tyus Jones assists) | 13-12 |
| 5:37 | | +3 | Dejounte Murray makes three point jump shot (Bogdan Bogdanovic assists) | 13-15 |
| 5:24 | | +3 | Bilal Coulibaly makes three point jump shot (Jordan Poole assists) | 16-15 |
| 5:08 | | Bilal Coulibaly blocks Clint Capela's two point hook shot | ||
| 5:05 | | Bilal Coulibaly defensive rebound | ||
| 5:00 | | Jordan Poole misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 4:58 | | Kyle Kuzma offensive rebound | ||
| 4:57 | | +2 | Kyle Kuzma makes two point putback layup | 18-15 |
| 4:39 | | +2 | Dejounte Murray makes two point driving floating jump shot | 18-17 |
| 4:16 | | +2 | Kyle Kuzma makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 20-17 |
| 3:54 | | Saddiq Bey misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:52 | | Tyus Jones defensive rebound | ||
| 3:47 | | Trent Forrest shooting foul (Kyle Kuzma draws the foul) | ||
| 3:47 | | +1 | Kyle Kuzma makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 21-17 |
| 3:47 | | Kyle Kuzma misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 3:46 | | Hawks defensive rebound | ||
| 3:31 | | Trent Forrest misses two point driving layup | ||
| 3:27 | | Onyeka Okongwu offensive rebound | ||
| 3:27 | | +2 | Onyeka Okongwu makes two point tip layup | 21-19 |
| 3:14 | | +2 | Daniel Gafford makes two point cutting layup (Tyus Jones assists) | 23-19 |
| 2:58 | | Bogdan Bogdanovic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:54 | | Onyeka Okongwu offensive rebound | ||
| 2:53 | | Trae Young misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:50 | | Daniel Gafford defensive rebound | ||
| 2:37 | | +2 | Daniel Gafford makes two point layup | 25-19 |
| 2:26 | | Bogdan Bogdanovic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:23 | | Daniel Gafford defensive rebound | ||
| 2:18 | | Wizards 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:05 | | +2 | Patrick Baldwin Jr. makes two point dunk (Corey Kispert assists) | 27-19 |
| 2:05 | | Jalen Johnson shooting foul (Patrick Baldwin Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 2:05 | | Patrick Baldwin Jr. misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 2:03 | | Onyeka Okongwu defensive rebound | ||
| 1:47 | | Patrick Baldwin Jr. personal foul (Jalen Johnson draws the foul) | ||
| 1:39 | | Onyeka Okongwu misses two point hook shot | ||
| 1:35 | | Delon Wright defensive rebound | ||
| 1:30 | | Deni Avdija misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 1:27 | | Garrison Mathews defensive rebound | ||
| 1:20 | | +3 | Garrison Mathews makes three point jump shot (Trae Young assists) | 27-22 |
| 1:04 | | Corey Kispert misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 1:01 | | Onyeka Okongwu defensive rebound | ||
| 0:56 | | Trae Young misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:52 | | Corey Kispert defensive rebound | ||
| 0:37 | | Deni Avdija turnover (lost ball) (Bogdan Bogdanovic steals) | ||
| 0:32 | | Bogdan Bogdanovic misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 0:29 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 0:10 | | +3 | Corey Kispert makes three point jump shot (Delon Wright assists) | 30-22 |
| 0:03 | | +3 | Trae Young makes three point pullup jump shot | 30-25 |
| 0:00 | | Delon Wright misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Wizards offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:47 | | Trae Young turnover (bad pass) (Delon Wright steals) | ||
| 11:42 | | +3 | Corey Kispert makes three point running jump shot (Delon Wright assists) | 33-25 |
| 11:17 | | Trae Young misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 11:14 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 11:07 | | Onyeka Okongwu shooting foul (Bilal Coulibaly draws the foul) | ||
| 11:07 | | +1 | Bilal Coulibaly makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 34-25 |
| 11:07 | | +1 | Bilal Coulibaly makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 35-25 |
| 10:58 | | Deni Avdija blocks Trae Young's two point driving layup | ||
| 10:58 | | Hawks offensive rebound | ||
| 10:52 | | Patrick Baldwin Jr. personal foul (Bogdan Bogdanovic draws the foul) | ||
| 10:39 | | Patrick Baldwin Jr. blocks Jalen Johnson's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 10:34 | | Onyeka Okongwu offensive rebound | ||
| 10:34 | | Onyeka Okongwu misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 10:32 | | Patrick Baldwin Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 10:27 | | Patrick Baldwin Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:25 | | Corey Kispert offensive rebound | ||
| 10:23 | | +3 | Deni Avdija makes three point jump shot (Corey Kispert assists) | 38-25 |
| 10:21 | | Hawks 60 second timeout | ||
| 10:10 | | Garrison Mathews turnover (back court violation) | ||
| 10:01 | | Bilal Coulibaly misses two point driving layup | ||
| 9:58 | | Bogdan Bogdanovic defensive rebound | ||
| 9:51 | | Bogdan Bogdanovic misses two point driving layup | ||
| 9:48 | | Onyeka Okongwu offensive rebound | ||
| 9:46 | | Onyeka Okongwu turnover (lost ball) (Deni Avdija steals) | ||
| 9:37 | | Patrick Baldwin Jr. misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 9:34 | | Jalen Johnson defensive rebound | ||
| 9:23 | | Delon Wright blocks Jalen Johnson's two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 9:22 | | Hawks offensive rebound | ||
| 9:17 | | Bogdan Bogdanovic misses two point jump shot | ||
| 9:15 | | Bilal Coulibaly defensive rebound | ||
| 9:13 | | Bilal Coulibaly turnover (lost ball) (Bogdan Bogdanovic steals) | ||
| 9:09 | | +2 | Bogdan Bogdanovic makes two point running finger roll layup | 38-27 |
| 8:47 | | Corey Kispert misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:44 | | Bogdan Bogdanovic defensive rebound | ||
| 8:35 | | Bilal Coulibaly personal foul (Trae Young draws the foul) | ||
| 8:26 | | Dejounte Murray misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 8:25 | | Onyeka Okongwu offensive rebound | ||
| 8:25 | | Bilal Coulibaly shooting foul (Onyeka Okongwu draws the foul) | ||
| 8:25 | | +1 | Onyeka Okongwu makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 38-28 |
| 8:25 | | Onyeka Okongwu misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 8:23 | | Bogdan Bogdanovic offensive rebound | ||
| 8:10 | | Trent Forrest misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 8:09 | | Onyeka Okongwu offensive rebound | ||
| 8:09 | | Bilal Coulibaly shooting foul (Onyeka Okongwu draws the foul) | ||
| 8:09 | | +1 | Onyeka Okongwu makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 38-29 |
| 8:09 | | +1 | Onyeka Okongwu makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 38-30 |
| 7:56 | | Corey Kispert turnover (lost ball) (Saddiq Bey steals) | ||
| 7:51 | | Bogdan Bogdanovic misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 7:48 | | Wizards defensive rebound | ||
| 7:27 | | +2 | Kyle Kuzma makes two point stepback jump shot (Deni Avdija assists) | 40-30 |
| 7:07 | | Saddiq Bey misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:05 | | Daniel Gafford defensive rebound | ||
| 6:50 | | Onyeka Okongwu blocks Kyle Kuzma's two point driving layup | ||
| 6:47 | | Kyle Kuzma offensive rebound | ||
| 6:47 | | Onyeka Okongwu shooting foul (Daniel Gafford draws the foul) | ||
| 6:47 | | +1 | Daniel Gafford makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 41-30 |
| 6:47 | | +1 | Daniel Gafford makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 42-30 |
| 6:35 | | +3 | Bogdan Bogdanovic makes three point jump shot (Dejounte Murray assists) | 42-33 |
| 6:17 | | Tyus Jones misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:13 | | Clint Capela defensive rebound | ||
| 6:03 | | Trent Forrest turnover (lost ball) (Tyus Jones steals) | ||
| 5:51 | | +3 | Kyle Kuzma makes three point jump shot (Tyus Jones assists) | 45-33 |
| 5:34 | | Dejounte Murray misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:32 | | Jordan Poole defensive rebound | ||
| 5:25 | | Jordan Poole misses two point driving layup | ||
| 5:21 | | Clint Capela defensive rebound | ||
| 5:14 | | Bogdan Bogdanovic misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:12 |