The Wizards’ win in Atlanta was one of the most dominant road wins in franchise history

If the Wizards’ 112-86 win over the Hawks in Atlanta felt like a very rare experience, you’d be correct. It was only the 23rd time in franchise history that the Wizards have won a game on the road by 25 points or more, according to Basketball-Reference.

The team’s recent history of big road wins is even more bleak, as you’d expect. They’ve only won 9 road games by 25 points or more since they changed their name to the Wizards, and up until Friday’s win, they all came against teams that finished with losing records, including several against teams that failed to win 20 games.

To find the last time the Wizards beat a team on the road with a winning record like the Hawks, you have to go back to November 1978, when the Bullets defeated the New Jersey Nets 143-94. However, it’s worth noting that loss proved to be a precursor of things to come, as the Nets wound up under .500 by the end of the season.

Assuming the Hawks are able to stay above .500, this will be the first time the Wizards have won by such a large margin on the road against a winning team since March 25, 1977, when the Bullets beat the Celtics 122-97 at Boston Garden. Scott Brooks was 11 when that game happened.

While Friday’s big win in Atlanta certainly isn’t the best road win in franchise history, there’s no question it ranks as one of the most impressive wins in terms of margin of victory and quality of opponent that this franchise has ever seen.