Wizards vs. Hawks final score: Washington overcomes sloppy start in 104-100 win

The Washington Wizards defeated the Atlanta Hawks 104-100 on Wednesday night , giving them the 3-1 series win this season. Washington was led by Bradley Beal’s 28 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists while Tim Hardaway Jr. led the Hawks with 29 points to go with 3 assists and 2 rebounds.

The Hawks went on a 10-0 run midway through the first quarter as the Wizards struggled with turnovers and defending the dribble drive. Beal finally ended the drought with a layup, followed by a triple in the corner to get Washington going again. Washington's second unit gave them a spark but Atlanta still held them to 37 percent in the first half.

The Wizards went into halftime only down by six, even though John Wall played through arguably his worst half of the season. He was 0-8 from the field, missed both of his free throws, and only had five assists.

Washington didn’t take the lead until midway through the third quarter, thanks to a three from Otto Porter and layup by Beal.

Wall finally came alive in the fourth quarter, igniting a 13-2 run to give the Wizards a decisive lead they wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the way. The Hawks made little runs over the final five minutes, but Washington’s defense made the key stops it needed to pull out a win at home.

Washington is now 2.5 games behind the second seed Celtics and a game above the fourth-place Toronto Raptors. The Wizards will welcome the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night, who owns the worst record in the NBA.

Game Notes

The difference between the first quarter...

...and the fourth quarter