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Wizards and Hawks meet in Atlanta

Nov 25, 2010 - 3:58 PM (Sports Network) - The NBA's Thanksgiving Day action kicks off in Dixie when the reeling Atlanta Hawks shoot for their 11th consecutive win over the Washington Wizards.

The Hawks have hit the skids and hit them badly recently after a 6-0 start to the season. Atlanta dropped its third straight game and its seventh in nine contests on Tuesday in New Jersey when Brook Lopez finished with a season-high 32 points and hauled in nine rebounds, as the Nets pulled out a 107-101 victory over the Hawks in overtime.

Jamal Crawford paced the Hawks with 21 points off the bench, while Josh Smith scored 20. Joe Johnson finished with 16 points, eight assists and six boards for Atlanta.

"The effort was definitely there," Crawford said. "We were competitive. It just didn't go our way. We were expending so much energy just to hang around and get back in the game that we didn't have enough to finish it out."

The Hawks figure to get back on track tonight since they haven't lost to Washington since suffering a 102-98 overtime setback in Atlanta back on Jan. 11, 2008.

"We can't sneak up on teams anymore," Hawks coach Larry Drew said. "Every game we play, teams are going to be gearing for us. We have to be mentally prepared, we've got to be physically prepared, and we've got to approach every game with a playoff mindset."

The Wizards, meanwhile, are also coming off an overtime game of their own on Tuesday but they came out on the winning end when Nick Young drained a go- ahead three-pointer in the closing seconds of the extra frame to give Washington a dramatic 116-114 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

John Wall, hampered by a left foot injury that caused him to miss the previous four games, scored all 25 of his points in the third and fourth quarters, none bigger than the three free throws he made with 3.5 seconds left in regulation.

Wall, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft, drew the critical foul 35 feet from the basket after Evan Turner, selected immediately after Wall, missed two free throws with eight seconds on the clock.

JaVale McGee was all over the floor, ending with 24 points and a career-high 18 rebounds for the Wizards, who have alternated wins and losses over their past six games.

"JaVale is playing like an All-Star. He's playing great," Wizards head coach Flip Saunders said. "When he plays within his role and not outside it, he becomes so much more effective."

Young ended with 19 points, while Andray Blatche and Gilbert Arenas each netted 17 in the win.

Washington still hasn't won back-to-back games or on the road this season, however, compiling an 0-6 mark away from the nation's capital. The Wizards have also dropped five straight in Atlanta.