Dyson Daniels scored a game-high 25 points, helping lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 129-117 victory over the visiting Washington Wizards in NBA Cup pool play on Friday.
De’Andre Hunter added 22 points off the bench as the Hawks won their second straight East Group C game. Jalen Johnson tallied 18 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, while Trae Young added 18 points and nine assists.
Atlanta’s Onyeka Okongwu had 13 points and 13 boards, Garrison Mathews scored 12 points, Zaccharie Risacher had 11 and Clint Capela recorded 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Playing in its first NBA Cup game, Washington lost its seventh straight overall. Kyle Kuzma led the Wizards with 24 points and nine rebounds. Jordan Poole contributed 22 points, Alexandre Sarr chipped in 20, Corey Kispert scored 16 and Kyshawn George had 13.
After Atlanta outscored Washington 30-11 in the second quarter to take a nine-point halftime lead, Daniels’ 3-pointer stamped an 8-3 Hawks run to begin the second half, extending the lead to 67-53.
Washington answered with a 7-0 run before Risacher’s layup and another Daniels 3-pointer forced a Washington timeout with 7:13 left in the third quarter.
Sarr sank two free throws, but a 10-0 Hawks run, capped by a layup from Daniels, extending Atlanta’s lead to 82-62 at the 3:19 mark.
Hunter’s mid-range jumper with eight seconds left in the period gave Atlanta a 94-72 lead before Poole’s step-back triple beat the third-quarter buzzer, cutting Washington’s deficit to 94-75.
From there, Atlanta’s lead ballooned to 28.
Kispert’s pullup 3-pointer beat the first-quarter buzzer, giving Washington a 39-29 lead.
From there, the Hawks held Washington to just two points through the first six minutes of the second quarter and took a 42-41 lead on Daniels’ floater with 6:58 left in the first half.
Poole’s layup swung the lead back to Washington before Johnson’s three-point play capped a 12-0 run that gave Atlanta a 54-43 advantage with 2:16 to go in the second quarter.