Atlanta @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 2, 2019 ) Atlanta 98, Washington 114

There was plenty of criticism of the Atlanta’s draft-night trade that sent Luka Doncic to Dallas for Trae Young, but the Hawks head into the finale of a seven-game road trip Monday at the Washington Wizards with their rookie point guard shining brightly. Young scored 20 or more points with eight-plus assists in each of his past four games, scoring 27 points with eight assists and seven rebounds in Saturday’s 118-112 victory at Phoenix.

“I don’t think I helped my team in the first three quarters,” Young told reporters after scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter Saturday to help lift Atlanta to 3-3 on its 12-day road swing, the longest trip of the Hawks season due to Super Bowl LIII being in Atlanta on Sunday. “Everyone on the team played well expect for me, so I decided to do a little bit more for my team in the fourth quarter.” The Wizards continue to adjust to life without point guard John Wall, losing 131-115 at home to Milwaukee on Saturday for their fourth defeat in the past six games. Guard Bradley Beal scored 24 points in the loss but continues to raise his game in Wall’s absence, averaging 27.3 points and shooting 37.5 percent from 3-point range in the 17 games since Wall was shut down with a season-ending ankle injury. “We would have been alright if we hadn’t been down by 30,” Beal told the media after the game, citing Washington trailing by as many as 32 points early in the third quarter.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS South (Atlanta), NBCS Washington

ABOUT THE HAWKS (17-35): Young is tied for seventh in the NBA in assists and his shooting continues to improve, the rookie hitting 48 percent of his shots from the field while averaging 23.2 points and 8.8 assists on Atlanta’s road trip. Forward John Collins matched his career high with 35 points Saturday and added 16 rebounds (one off his career best), and the second-year player is averaging 19.7 points and 9.9 rebounds on 58.6 percent shooting from the field. Atlanta continues to struggle with turnovers, committing 25 on Saturday and averaging an NBA-worst 18.6 on the season.

ABOUT THE WIZARDS (22-30): Beal averages 24.1 points and recorded one of his biggest games of the season on Dec. 5 against the Hawks, scoring 36 points with nine assists and six rebounds. Otto Porter Jr. returned to the starting lineup after coming off the bench for most of January, and despite a sprained toe finished with 18 points and seven rebounds Saturday. Point guard Tomas Satoransky, who made 41 starts when Wall was injured last season, is averaging 10.4 points and 5.8 assists in 30 starts this season.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Wizards are fourth in the NBA in steals per game (8.9); Atlanta ranks eighth (8.5).

2. The Hawks play nine of their next 10 games at home, including seven in a row starting Thursday against Toronto.

3. Beal has averaged 29.7 points in three matchups against Atlanta this season, helping Washington take a 2-1 lead in the season series.

PREDICTION: Wizards 117, Hawks 104