The Washington Wizards collected their first win of the season, in a close 121-119 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
The Wizards overcame a 61-54 halftime deficit. Washington stepped up defensively in the second half, making 13 threes after halftime to prevail.
The contest swung back and forth, but Jordan Poole drained a three to put Washington in a comfortable spot with 51 seconds. Poole made more than four three-pointers for the third straight game as the team tied a franchise record with 21 made three-pointers.
The game also featured the top two picks in this year’s NBA Draft between Zacharrie Risacher of the Hawks and Alexandre Sarr of the Wizards. Washington also adjusted the lineup, moving rookie Bub Carrington to the bench. Poole shifted to point guard, Sarr to power forward, and plugged veteran Jonas Valanciunas at center.
Here are five promising takeaways from the Wizards’ first win of the season.
Sarr wins the rookie matchup
There was excitement about No. 1 and No. 2 overall draft picks playing each other for the first time in their careers. Sarr played the best out of the two.
The No. 2 overall pick finished with seven points on 3-of-11 shooting from the field, nine rebounds, and three blocks for the Wizards. Meanwhile, Risacher closed the game with four points on 1-of-8 shooting, three rebounds, and two steals.
Sarr’s first point of the game occurred with a two-hand dunk on Hawks All-Star Trae Young. The score was his only point in the first quarter. Sarr and Risacher matched up in the second quarter
Sarr comes out the gates fast, with an easy two-hand flush on Trae Young’s post-up. That was the only score for the two Frenchmen in the first quarter. Risacher failed to score going zero-for-three, and Sarr made one out of three of his attempts.
During the second quarter, both went at it for the first time. When Risacher tried to post up Poole, Sarr was there to help. Risacher tried to put it over his draft classmate but missed the layup due to a strong contest from Sarr.
On the ensuing Wizards possession, he got the ball in the high post being guarded by Risacher. Sarr spun off Risacher and cashed in a fadeaway mid-range.
Sarr had another stellar start in the opening of the second half. After cashing in a pick-and-pop three he got it done on the defensive end. Forcing three dead trips for the Hawks.
He made Clint Capela extend his arm for an offensive foul, blocked a Jalen Johnson layup attempt, and made Capela pick up travel in the paint.
Despite struggling offensively, only shooting 27 percent from the field, he was very active defensively. Sarr is the clear best defender of this rookie class, averaging three blocks per game.
Bilal holds Trae Young to 2/15 shooting
Last year’s first-round pick, Bilal Coulibaly, scored 17 points in the win over Atlanta. However, his defense was the talk of the game. The second-year pro helped contain Trae Young to 14 points on 2-of-15 shooting.
Individually, Coulibaly starred defensively. Young was 0-of-7 from the field, including 0-of-4 from three when guarded by Coulibaly. He also had five turnovers against Coulibaly, and his only two points in the scenario occurred at the free-throw line.
Young never caught rhythm offensively.
On Atlanta’s final possession, Young brought the ball up the court. Coulibaly picked him up full court. Young tried to step back on the young Frenchman but had to pick up his dribble. With the time running down, Young had no choice but to hoist a difficult shot that hit the backboard.
Kuzma finally arrived to the 2024-25 season
After concerns over his struggles in the first two games, Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma had his best game of the season to date. Kuzma scored 20 of 25 points in the second half, shooting 8-of-20 from the field, including 5-of-9 from three.
Kuzma also added 11 rebounds and seven assists in 40 minutes. He steered the ship after the Hawks went on a 13-0 run early in the first quarter. Kuzma got to the free-throw line, making both attempts. Then he scored from the field and got an assist that closed Washington’s gap to 17-15.
He overpowered the Hawks’ defense early on. Still, Kuzma had struggles in the first half, turning over the ball four times. Despite the early run, he shot just 2-of-8 from the field.
Kuzma flipped a switch in the second half. After a layup off a dime from Jordan Poole, Kuzma got hot, draining three three-pointers during 59 seconds on consecutive possessions.
Unfortunately, his day would end early. Kuzma walked off the court to the locker room in the last two minutes. Kuzma felt something in his leg prompting him to leave the game, per Wizards head coach Brian Keefe.
Poole capped another great shooting night with dagger three
Poole had a great night from behind the arch. He rained six threes. His last one came from a step back for a dagger three.
Poole started hot again, making his first two threes en route to 10 points in the first quarter. He continued his success in the second quarter, making three treys in the final 1:53 of the first half. He showed some of that showmanship, drilling a three without follow-through.
Poole helped close out the Wizards’ win. He dissected Risacher in a one-on-one matchup, putting the No. 1 overall pick on an island before drilling a 26-foot step-back three that extended Washington’s lead to six with 51 seconds.
Poole is getting his confidence back from his Golden State Warriors time. He leads the team in scoring and finding the bottom of the net when Washington needs him.
Bub Carrington looks more comfortable coming off the bench
Bub Carrington had the best game of his rookie season thus far. He had a career-high 13 points off the bench, making 4-of-5 shots from the field.
Carrington started the first two games and struggled to get his footing, playing primarily alongside Poole. He came off the bench and made an immediate impact against the Hawks. He drew a foul, making two free throws. Then he knocked down a pull-up three after a hezi move.
Then, he dropped a dime to forward Marvin Bagley. Carrington then made another three, coming off a screen from Corey Kispert. He made a third three in the second off a feed from Poole.
Carrington still has a ways to go to be trusted with the ball in his hands at point guard. However, against the Hawks, it appeared Carrington slowed the game down in his head.
The Wizards is in a rebuild. While development is the primarily focus, Washington had promising keys that glared in its first win of the season.
