To illustrate how good of a night the Hawks (12-35) had on offense, they were eight points shy of their season-high in scoring after playing just three quarters.
In a 152-133 win over the Wizards (15-30) Sunday at State Farm Arena, the Hawks shot 58.1 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three-point territory. They shattered the previous season high of 127 points in the Nov. 20 loss to Milwaukee.
» ANALYSIS: On emotional night, Hawks find offense
The 152 points were the most in regulation for the franchise since Feb. 11, 1970, when 155 points were scored at San Diego.
The game began by observing a moment of silence in honor of Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash earlier Sunday, along with his 13-year old daughter Gianna and seven others.
Trae Young briefly started the game out wearing No. 8, Bryant’s jersey number for the first half of his 20-year NBA career with the Lakers, before switching into his normal No. 11. To honor Bryant, the Hawks started the game out with an eight-second violation, and the Wizards responded with a 24-second shot clock violation (Bryant wore No. 24 for the second half of his career).
Young led the Hawks in scoring with 45 points (13-24 FG, 6-11 3-point range, 13-16 FT) and 14 assists.
A 47-point second quarter was the most the Hawks had scored in a quarter since April 15, 1997, when they had 48 points in the fourth quarter against the New Jersey Nets. The Hawks led by six at halftime after Young got a particularly impressive 3-pointer off from behind the logo before the buzzer.
The Hawks started the third quarter out on a 20-5 run to make it 98-77, maintaining a substantial lead and working their way to a 20-point advantage at the 4:56 mark in the fourth after a corner 3-pointer by De’Andre Hunter.
In a loss to the Wizards Jan. 10 in D.C., the Hawks let a six-point lead midway through the fourth quarter turn into a 10-point loss, but they held on in this one despite Bradley Beal’s 40 points (it didn’t help their case that John Collins, who finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes, fouled out with a little more than six minutes to go).
Hunter added 25 points, Kevin Huerter added 18 points and six rebounds, Bruno Fernando added a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds and Cam Reddish added 13 points.
Next up, the Hawks play in Toronto Tuesday.
About the Author
