Washington @ Atlanta preview
State Farm Arena
Last Meeting ( Jan 13, 2024 ) Washington 127, Atlanta 99
The first two picks in the 2024 NBA draft -- Atlanta's Zaccharie Risacher and Washington's Alex Sarr -- will go head-to-head for the first time on Monday when the Hawks host the Wizards.
Risacher, the No. 1 overall pick, started for the first time on Sunday. Sarr, the No. 2 overall pick, has started the first two games. Sarr is averaging 7.0 points and 5.5 rebounds.
Atlanta lost 128-104 to the unbeaten Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday and will play their first back-to-back set of the season.
Washington is looking for its first win of the season after dropping a 122-102 decision to the Boston Celtics in the season opener and a 135-116 setback to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday.
This is the first of four meetings between the teams this season. They meet again on Wednesday in Washington.
Atlanta won three of four against the Wizards last season and has won the season series in four consecutive seasons. Atlanta has won 12 of the past 15 meetings.
Atlanta's Trae Young, who is averaging 30.7 points, had 24 points and eight assists against the Thunder but also committed 10 turnovers. Young extended his streak of games with at least five assists to 164, the third-longest streak in NBA history.
Risacher had 13 points and six rebounds -- both career highs -- on Sunday. He is averaging 8.3 points and 2.3 rebounds.
"I'm only 19, so this is a big adjustment for me," Risacher said. "I'll be better and better and better."
The Hawks played on Sunday without starting forward De'Andre Hunter (right knee inflammation) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (right hamstring).
Washington has played well in the first half of its two games but has not maintained the momentum in the second half.
"We've shown we can be consistent against high-level teams, two playoff-ready teams," Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. "But we need to do it for longer and that's what we're here to work on. We've got to get better in the third quarter and play longer, more consistent minutes."
There have been bright spots despite the poor start.
Jordan Poole scored 26 points in the opener against Boston. Bilal Coulibaly scored a career-high 23 points against the Cavaliers. Sarr had multiple blocks in the first two games to become the team's first rookie to do so since Calvin Booth in 2000.
But Washington's Kyle Kuzma, who led the team in scoring last season at 22.2 points, is struggling. He was 3-for-16 from the field against Cleveland and is shooting 28.1 percent (9-for-32) this season. He is 0-for-9 on 3-point tries.
The Wizards' opening night lineup of Poole, Coulibaly, Kuzma, Sarr and Bub Carrington has an average of 22.72 years. It was the youngest starting lineup in the NBA and is the youngest lineup the franchise has had on opening night since the NBA began to track starters in 1970. Carrington suffered a mild ankle sprain in the opener but did not miss a game.
--Field Level Media