Josh Smith had 23 points and 15 rebounds, while Al Horford added 14 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead Atlanta Hawks past Washington Wizards 104-95.
The Hawks dominated the first half, taking control right from the beginning by outscoring their opponents 31-19 in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Hawks extended their lead by one point, with the halftime score at 54-41. The gap proved too much for Washington and, despite their best efforts in the second half, they could not quite do enough to take the game.
"I think when we got the big lead we got a little complacent," the Associated Press quoted head coach of the Atlanta Hawks Larry Drew as saying. "We have to develop a killer instinct. Tonight, we didn't have it. We didn't do it.
"It's something that you develop. It's something that just doesn't come overnight. I have all the confidence in our guys that we will develop."
For the Wizards, top scorer Kevin Seraphin added 19 points and chipped in with seven rebounds, whereas Bradley Beal scored 18 points.
The Wizards offense had a better time in the third quarter and at one point they cut the Hawks lead to 84-82 early in the fourth.
Smith said that the Hawks came out victorious because they reacted well to the run by the Wizards.
"This is a game of runs," Smith said. "Teams are going to make runs, but as long as we stop the runs and get wins in closes games, I think that's the most important part.''
"Despite their record, they are a pretty good team.
"I don't care what anybody says. They had a convincing win against the Miami Heat, so they're feeling confident right now. They have a groove going."
For the Hawks, Jeff Teague added 19 points and six assists, DeShawn Stevenson had 15 points.
The Hawks were leading at the start of the fourth quarter 80-71. With the help of Kevin Seraphin's jumper, the Wizards reduced the gap to two points, but Horford increased it again with back-to-back baskets.
Then the Wizards again reduced the gap to two points at 91-89, but the Hawks did not allow them to make further progress in the game and won by nine points.
"We didn't trust again," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. "We quit running and moving the ball, started holding and dribbling and didn't trust what we were doing."
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
