National Basketball Association
Washington 117, Atlanta 102
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, March 21, 2016
Where: Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Officials: #36 David Jones, #22 Bill Spooner, #31 Scott Wall
Attendance: 15729

ATLANTA -- Bradley Beal is getting healthy at the right time, John Wall is heating up and the Washington Wizards look dangerous heading into the final weeks of the regular season.

Beal scored 25 points, and Wall added 27 points and 14 assists, leading the Wizards to a 117-102 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday in a battle of surging Eastern Conference squads at Philips Arena.

Washington (35-35) won its fifth straight game and is within two games of the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. The Wizards haven't been above .500 since Nov. 24 when they were 6-5.

Atlanta point guard Jeff Teague scored 23 points, but had only four assists, and forward Al Horford flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 14 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. The Hawks (41-30) had their five-game winning streak snapped and lost at home for the first time since Feb. 20.

Washington opened the second half with a 7-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Markieff Morris. Wall and Beal scored 22 of the Wizards' 28 points in the third quarter, but was unable to create significant separation.

Tim Hardaway Jr. hit a 3-pointer and Dennis Schroder hit a layup in the final minute of the third quarter to cut the Wizards' lead to 89-86 heading into the fourth quarter.

Washington finally pulled away in the fourth quarter, with Wall hitting a nifty layup on a breakaway to put the Wizards ahead 107-94 with 3:04 to play.

Beal has missed 26 games this season with various injuries, including four of the last six with a pelvic strain. He looked smooth and fluid Monday, hitting five-of-six 3-point attempts.

Hardaway Jr. and Schroder came off the bench to hit three 3-pointers in the final two minutes of the first quarter, giving the Hawks a 30-27 lead after one.

Hardaway Jr., who saw little playing time early in the season, has come on strong of late and provided a spark off the bench during the Hawks' March push that has moved them into the top four in the Eastern Conference. Hardaway was coming off back-to-back 20-point games and finished with 16 points Monday.

Wall hit back-to-back 3-pointers late in the second quarter, helping the Wizards grab a 61-59 lead at intermission. Wall had 10 points in the first half, and center Marcin Gortat had 14 of his 15 points in the first two quarters.

The two teams, who met in last season's Eastern Conference semifinals, will play again Wednesday in Washington. The Hawks won last year's playoff series in six games.

NOTES: Washington G Bradley Beal returned Saturday after missing of the previous six games with a pelvic sprain. He played 32 minutes and finished with 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting against the New York Knicks, then was in the starting lineup Monday. ... Washington F Alan Anderson sat out due to a left ankle injury. ... The Hawks boast the league's second-best points-per-possession defense at 99.3 pointzss per 100 possessions. Only the Spurs are better. . The NBA reportedly sent a memo to teams Monday to remind them that sticky substances are not allowed. Houston Rockets C Dwight Howard was warned by the refs Sunday for using a spray on his hands.
Top Game Performances
 
Washington   Atlanta
John Wall 27 Scoring Jeff Teague 23
John Wall 14 Assists Al Horford 9
Otto Porter 10 Rebounds Al Horford 9
John Wall 4 Free Throws Made Jeff Teague 6
Markieff Morris 3 Steals Al Horford 3
Markieff Morris 1 Blocks Thabo Sefolosha 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Washington 117 50.5 13-25 12-20 27 44 3 10 9
Atlanta 102 48.7 13-33 13-17 23 33 6 5 14
Upcoming Games
  • Atlanta will play their next game on the road against Washington. The Hawks have a W/L % of .585 after a win and .567 after a loss.
  • Washington will play their next game at home against Atlanta. The Wizards have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .500 after a loss.