Field Level Media
Jan 27, 2018
Markieff Morris scored a game-high 23 points while Mike Scott came off the bench and added 19 as the Washington Wizards took a big first-half lead and defeated the Atlanta Hawks 129-104 on Saturday night at Philips Arena in Atlanta.
The Wizards won despite playing without All-Star guard John Wall (knee soreness/pain). He's now missed 12 games this year, and team officials said earlier Saturday that Wall will be considered day-to-day.
Morris made 9 of 12 shots from the field and added five rebounds. Scott scored 13 points in the second quarter and added the rest in the fourth, as coach Scott Brooks began emptying the bench in that final period.
Overall, six players finished in double figures for Washington.
All-Star Bradley Beal and Otto Porter Jr. both scored 18 while Kelly Oubre Jr. (15) and Tomas Satoransky (11) all helped the Wizards end a five-game, 12-day road trip on a good note.
Overall, the Wizards struggled on the trip and finished with a 2-3 record.
Atlanta now has dropped three in a row and four of its last five. Taurean Prince and Dewayne Dedmon each scored 14 in the defeat.
Washington led from start to finish in the contest. The Wizards scored the first five points of the game and then went on an 11-2 run midway through the first quarter for a 24-14 lead.
After that came another 11-2 streak at the start of the second period, which gave Washington a 38-20 lead. Oubre scored six of those points thanks to a three-point play and later a 3-point shot.
The Hawks then tried to chip away but couldn't, leaving the Wizards a 61-45 halftime lead. Morris scored 15 of his points in the first half while Scott added those 13.
Washington made life tougher for Atlanta in the first half by shooting 50 percent from the field and making all seven free throws. The Wizards stretched things out in the second half as five players reached double figures by midway through the third quarter.
--Field Level Media