CJ McCollum scored a season-high 46 points on 10 3-pointers Tuesday, leading the Washington Wizards to a rare 132-113 victory over the visiting Atlanta Hawks in NBA Cup group play.
Alex Sarr had 27 points and 11 rebounds, while Corey Kispert totaled 19 points for the Wizards, who led by as many as 33 points and snapped a 14-game losing streak. Khris Middleton had 10 points and 12 assists and Bub Carrington scored 10 for Washington, which never trailed in the win.
Kristaps Porzingis led Atlanta with 22 points, followed by Onyeka Okongwu’s 20 and Zaccharie Risacher’s 17. Dyson Daniels finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Hawks, who had their two-game winning streak snapped. Vit Krejci tallied 10 points in the loss.
Both teams are1-2 in NBA Cup group play.
After trailing by 22 at halftime, Atlanta got its deficit down to 18 on Risacher’s triple with 9:13 left in the third.
Daniels’ layup later cut Washington’s lead to 89-70, before Kispert’s layup and Carrington’s 3-pointer began an Wizards’ 11-2 spurt.
Tristan Vukcevic scored the final five points of the third, giving the Wizards a 111-78 lead entering the final quarter.
Atlanta outscored Washington 35-21 in the final quarter.
After Porzingis’ hook shot tied the game at two, Washington rattled off 16 straight points, with Kispert’s 3-pointer giving the Wizards an 18-2 lead.
Sarr’s floater extended the margin to 23, before a brief 6-1 Atlanta run cut the visitors’ deficit to 32-14.
The overwhelming Washington lead ballooned to 29 on Kispert’s free throws. Luke Kennard’s three-point play began Atlanta’s 7-0 spurt to end the quarter.
Kispert and McCollum each drilled four 3-pointers in the first quarter.
Vukcevic’s layup gave the Wizards a 59-37 lead, before Kennard’s trey and Daniels’ layup stamped a 9-0 spurt to cut the Hawks’ deficit to 13 with 5:17 left in the first half.
McCollum’s seventh 3-pointer of the opening half gave Washington a 77-55 halftime-lead
