Led by Kyle Kuzma (29 points) and Deni Avdija (19 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists), the Washington Wizards closed out their short road trip with a big-time 127-99 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
KYLE KUZMA TAKING CONTROL
In the final game of a road trip, you need your best players to step up, and that's exactly what Kuzma did on Saturday night in Atlanta. He set the tone early, playing with a high level of activity on both ends of the floor and being productive while doing so. He scored the Wizards' first five points of the game on a spot-up three-pointer and a fast-break dunk. After that, he never slowed down.
The first few minutes of the game oscillated back and forth, but after the Wizards took a one-point lead on a Bilal Coulibaly three with 5:24 left in the first, they'd never give it back.
Kuzma finished the first quarter with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and helped the Wizards take a 30-25 lead.
To start the second quarter, the Wizards' five-man group of Delon Wright, Corey Kispert, Coulibaly, Avdija, and Patrick Baldwin Jr. picked up right where Kuzma left off. They scored the first eight points of the quarter and extended the lead to 13. At that point, the air felt like it was sucked out of the building.
At the halftime break, Kuzma had already notched 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field to go along with five boards and two assists. The Wizards held a double-digit lead.
CONTAINING TRAE YOUNG, DEJOUNTE MURRAY, AND JALEN JOHNSON
When the Wizards and Hawks last played on New Year's Eve, Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, and Jalen Johnson controlled the game. Young had 40 points and 13 assists. Murray had 32 points. And Johnson had a 24-point, 13-rebound double-double. Those three combined to shoot 33-of-52 from the field (63%).
This time around, it was a completely different story. Avdija drew the assignment of guarding Young. Tyus Jones was on Murray. And Kuzma was on Johnson. The results? Young was held to 21 points. Murray was held to 13. And Johnson was held to five. On Saturday, those three combined to shoot 12-of-41 from the field (29%).
With those three essentially taken out of the game, the Wizards were able to continue building their lead in the second half. A 41-24 third quarter in favor of the Wizards put the game out of reach ahead of the final frame.
DENI AVDIJA STUFFING THE STAT SHEET
Kuzma's game-high 29 points in 27 minutes will rightfully be the leading story for the Wizards, but Avdija's two-way brilliance shouldn't be overlooked. As previously mentioned, he had the tough task of defending Young for the majority of the night, but he didn't let that take him out of the rest of the game. He attacked the glass and helped the Wizards haul in a season-high 55 rebounds. He facilitated nicely on offense. And he scored efficiently.
Avdija finished the game with a near triple-double, scoring 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, 1-of-2 shooting from deep, and 4-of-5 shooting from the charity stripe to go along with 14 rebounds, nine assists, one block, and one steal.
Other notable Wizards performances: Jordan Poole scored an efficient 20 points in just 26 minutes. Coulibaly (12 points) and Kispert (11 points) each reached double-figures off the bench.
"I thought we started the right way and played well throughout," said Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. "Just our overall energy and connectivity offensively. Thirty-plus assists, a pretty decent number on the turnovers, but the ball was moving and that really helps our overall efficiency. Playing with the right level of force on both sides... Deni was great on Trae -- made him work."
The Wizards will be back in D.C. on Monday for an afternoon matinee against the Detroit Pistons.