ATLANTA — Everything seems to be working perfectly for the Washington Wizards lately.
Markieff Morris loves every minute of it.
“We’re kind of on a roll right now,” he said. “It’s real hard to stop us, especially when we’re making shots. We’re just one of those teams with a lot of firepower. Tonight was one of those nights.”
Otto Porter Jr. had 21 points and 11 rebounds, John Wall scored 19 and the Wizards moved within a half-game of the Southeast Division lead by romping past the Atlanta Hawks 112-86 on Friday night.
Washington has won three consecutive and 10 of 12, improving to 20-8 since Dec. 5.
Kent Bazemore scored 15 and Dwight Howard had 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Hawks, suddenly clinging to that slim lead in the Southeast. They had won 12 of 15 and were coming off an inspiring victory with a late rally Wednesday at Chicago.
Atlanta’s momentum fizzled not long after the opening tip. The Hawks never led, and they lost by at least 23 points for the fifth time this season.
“There’s nothing to sum up,” guard Tim Hardaway Jr. said. “We got our butts kicked, plain and simple.”
All five Washington starters scored in double figures for the 15th time this season, most in the NBA. Marcin Gortat, Bradley Beal and Morris each had 15 points.
Hawks forward Paul Millsap, selected to his fourth consecutive All-Star team this week, scored a season-low four points.
“We just came out lackadaisical,” he said. “We didn’t give them any resistance. They could go wherever they wanted to go, shoot whenever they wanted to shoot. I think it’s more on us. We have to focus on ourselves and figure it out.”
Morris kept Millsap in check by limiting his effectiveness in the paint.
“He’s one of the best players in the league,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. “He had an off night. Some of it was us, but he’s hard to stop, and I thought (Morris) did a good job of making him take tough shots.”
Washington took the first of two 14-point leads in the first quarter on Beal’s 3-pointer. The Wizards went up by 16 early in the second on Beal’s layup and took a 25-point lead in the final minute before halftime on Porter’s 3.
Wall’s layup made it a 30-point advantage midway through the third.
TIP-INS
Wizards: Outrebounded the Hawks 52-41. … Have won three of four on the road but are just 7-14 overall away from home. … Washington is 14-3 when Porter hits at least three 3s. He finished with five. … Washington is 22-7 when shooting at least 45 percent from the field and 15-5 when holding opponents under 45 percent. … F Kelly Oubre Jr. had scored at least 10 points in four straight games but finished with four points and was 2 for 11 from the field. … Porter played briefly to begin the fourth and was the only starter on either team to see action in the final period.
Hawks: G Dennis Schroder averaged 21.3 points over the previous three games but had just nine on 3-for-11 shooting. … Schroder and Millsap were a combined 4 of 18 from the field. … Millsap’s previous season low was seven points at Minnesota on Dec. 26. … Atlanta dropped to 13-10 at home. … F Mike Muscala returned after missing six straight games with a sprained left ankle and had eight points in 14 minutes. … Schroder has made 24 straight free throws.
BIRD TALK
The Hawks did very little to make the crowd cheer, but the team showed some spirit for the Super Bowl-bound Falcons.
Howard wore a Julio Jones jersey during pregame introductions, and mascot Harry the Hawk was in a Matt Ryan jersey. Late in the second quarter, Falcons running back Devonta Freeman and receiver Mohamed Sanu were introduced to a rousing ovation. Several Falcons came out on the floor during halftime as rapper Lil Yachty performed.
UP NEXT
Wizards: Visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.
Hawks: Host the New York Knicks on Sunday.
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