Trae Young will make his first trip to Atlanta as a visiting player when the Hawks host the Washington Wizards on Friday night to close a home-and-home set.
Young made four All-Star appearances in seven-plus seasons before Atlanta dealt him to Washington for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert in January.
Ongoing knee and quadriceps injuries prevented a rematch before the end of last season. Young faced his old team for the first time in the Hawks’ 120-105 win in Washington on Wednesday night. He scored 18 points but was limited to six assists, well below his 9.5 average.
“Trae is one of the very best pick-and-roll players in the league, and they’re a handful in those situations,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “We’re going to have to be even better when they come to Atlanta. … Any time you guard a great player, it takes five guys. So I thought the importance of our rotations and being able to rebound out of rotations, you know, we need everybody to be locked in.”
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 26 points for the Hawks, who held the Wizards to 44 second-half points and added to their advantage late after leading throughout the final three quarters.
After sinking a career-high-tying nine 3s in a win at Indiana on Monday night, Alexander-Walker made six in Atlanta’s second straight win.
McCollum also scored 15 points and Kispert chipped in with nine against their former team, with the latter converting a crucial four-point play late in the third quarter to restore an eight-point lead.
“Pump-faked, and I was hoping he was going to jump and fly by me,” Kispert said. “And then I felt a bump and just kind of got it up in the air, and luckily it went in.”
Atlanta outrebounded Washington 57-41 — paced by 16 apiece from Onyeka Okongwu and Dyson Daniels — and led 19-6 in made 3-pointers.
Both areas have been difficult for Washington early in the season. The Wizards are last in the league in 3-pointers per game, averaging 8.8, and fifth from the bottom with 41.0 rebounds per contest.
“Our defense wasn’t good (Wednesday) either, but our offense has been lacking, really to be honest, all season, and our defense has been what’s carried us,” Young said. “And once our offense gets going, I definitely see us being a better team. We definitely have to shoot more 3s and get more 3s up, but it’s still got to be quality looks and good looks.”
Anthony Davis scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Washington, despite briefly departing in the third quarter to receive treatment on a sore right ankle. Kyshawn George added 25 points, but that wasn’t enough to overcome the Wizards allowing 120-plus points for a third time this season.
“I’ve got to give them credit; they came out with great pace to start the game,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. “They obviously made some tough shots, even some contested ones, early. The second-chance points, some of the loose-ball ones, are probably the ones that hurt us more.”
Atlanta has won the past two games without 2025-26 All-Star Jalen Johnson due to a left ankle sprain. Reserve power forward Asa Newell exited early Wednesday with a hyperextended left toe.
Johnson is questionable to play in the rematch, while Newell has been ruled out.
–Field Level Media
