Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
Washington 121, Atlanta 119
When: 7:30 PM ET, Monday, October 28, 2024
Where: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Officials: #58 Josh Tiven, #27 Mitchell Ervin, #96 Intae Hwang
Attendance: 14566

Kyle Kuzma broke out of a slump with a season-high 25 points and Jordan Poole added 26 on Monday to lead the visiting Washington Wizards to their first win of a season, a 121-119 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

Kuzma's previous best had been 14 points, but he came alive in the second half to finish 8-for-20 shooting with 11 rebounds and seven assists. He was taken to the locker room with less than two minutes due to a sore groin and did not return.

Poole scored 19 of his points in the first half and finished the game 6-for-8 from 3-point range. Corey Kispert scored 21 off the bench for the Wizards.

Atlanta was led by Jalen Johnson, who scored a career-high 29 points and added 12 rebounds and seven assists. Trae Young chipped in 14 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds but missed the potential game-winning 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

The teams play again on Wednesday in Washington.

The game was billed as a showcase for the top two draft picks, but neither rookie had a huge effect on the outcome.

Atlanta's Zaccharie Risacher (No. 1 pick) finished with four points, three rebounds, two blocks and two steals in 26 minutes. Washington's Alexandre Sarr (No. 2) had seven points, nine rebounds and two blocks in 27 minutes.

Atlanta sprung ahead 13-2, but Washington came back to tie the game at 25 late in the first quarter. Atlanta rebuilt a double-digit lead in the second quarter, going up by 13 when Young hit a pair of free throws for a 44-31 lead. Poole kept the Wizards close by scoring 13 in the second quarter, but Atlanta led 61-54 at halftime.

Washington outscored the Hawks 30-22 in the third quarter as Kuzma scored 12 points -- including his first three 3-pointers of the season -- and led 84-83 going into the final quarter.

The Hawks were short-handed again.

Forward De'Andre Hunter missed his second straight game with right knee inflammation and backup center Onyeka Okongwu was held out for load management.

The Hawks lost backup point guard Vit Krejci in the second quarter when he did not return after sustaining a right adductor injury.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Washington   Atlanta
Jordan Poole 26 Scoring Jalen Johnson 29
Kyle Kuzma 7 Assists Trae Young 13
Kyle Kuzma 11 Rebounds Jalen Johnson 12
Bilal Coulibaly 6 Free Throws Made Trae Young 8
Bilal Coulibaly 2 Steals Dyson Daniels 3
Alexandre Sarr 2 Blocks Zaccharie Risacher 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Washington 121 45.1 21-44 18-22 24 43 3 7 18
Atlanta 119 48.1 15-40 26-36 32 39 7 12 16
Upcoming Games
  • Atlanta will play their next game on the road against Washington. The Hawks have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Washington will play their next game at home against Atlanta. The Wizards have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .500 after a loss.