WASHINGTON (AP) — Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 26 points to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 120-105 victory over the Washington Wizards and former Hawks star guard Trae Young on Wednesday night.
Alexander-Walker hit six 3-pointers after sinking a career-high-tying nine in a 104-102 win at Indiana on Monday.
Onyeka Okongwu added 14 points and 16 rebounds for the Hawks in their first time playing against Young, who finished with 18 points, since trading the four-time All-Star to the Wizards in January.
CJ McCollum and Aaron Wiggins scored 15 points each to help Atlanta make up for All-Star forward Jalen Johnson missing his second straight game with a sprained left ankle.
Anthony Davis had 26 points and 10 rebounds for Washington.
Kyshawn George added 25 points for the Wizards, who trailed throughout the final three quarters.
Atlanta built its game-high lead of 16 in the second with a 13-0 run.
Asa Newell hit a tip-in at the first-quarter buzzer, and Zuby Ejiofor hit two transition baskets, prompting a quick timeout from Wizards coach Brian Keefe. But the surge continued, with Kingston Flemings hitting a runner and Wiggins sinking a 3-pointer before Dyson Daniels’ driving layup made it 48-32 with 9:06 left in the half.
Washington closed within seven by halftime and cut it to four twice in the third, the latter time on Young’s step-back 3 to make it 83-79.
But Corey Kispert — a player Atlanta received when dealing Young — converted a four-point play on the following possession, and the game never got closer than six afterward.
Up next
The Hawks and Wizards close their home-and-home set in Friday’s NBA Cup tilt in Atlanta.
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Ian Nicholas Quillen, The Associated Press