Story By: Sol Tucker
Photos By: Sol Tucker
Washington, D.C–
Again, another game decided in the final seconds for the Wizards, another close one that got away as the Hawks slipped away tonight, 117-114.
The biggest key takeaway from the game tonight was that the Wizards never led at any point in the game. They were able to pull within one with 5.3 seconds left when Raul Neto made a 3-pointer. Young then made two free throws with 3.7 seconds left. The first three quarters of the game each ended with a buzzer-beater, but Kyle Kuzma’s attempt to tie it from midcourt hit the back of the rim, allowing Atlanta to hold on.
“This was another one of those close games that just got away from us,” said Wizards Head Coach Wes Unseld Jr. “There were points in this game where we didn’t think we would even get to where we were in that final minute. We just move on to Sunday and realize we have quite a bit of basketball left in the second half.”
Atlanta shot 28 of 34 on free throws while Washington was just 8 of 9. That is a big difference in the box score are it ultimately helped the Hawks win despite 54% shooting from the field by the Wizards.
“Just giving teams points,” Kuzma said. “We’ve got to take it upon ourselves to do a better job of not fouling.”