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Wall lifts Wizards over Hawks

Feb 20, 2014 - 3:54 AM Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) - John Wall led seven Wizards in double figures with 21 points and 12 assists, as Washington topped the Atlanta Hawks, 114-97, at Philips Arena.

Trevor Ariza and Bradley Beal donated 19 points apiece for Washington, which led wire-to-wire and snapped an 11-game losing skid in Atlanta. Marcin Gortat added 14 points and 12 rebounds in the victory.

"We needed it real bad, especially if we're trying to make a push," Ariza said. "This one was big for us, especially knowing we haven't won here in a while."

Paul Millsap and Elton Brand scored 21 and 20 points, respectively, with both grabbing 11 boards in the setback. Jeff Teague had 16 points before leaving late in the contest with a sprained left ankle, while Kyle Korver extended his streak of consecutive games with a 3-pointer to 122.

The Hawks, who were without forward DeMarre Carroll (hamstring) and center Gustavo Ayon (shoulder), have lost seven straight.

"We were a little short-handed," said Brand. "We're trying to find a way to win. Things aren't going our way right now. We have to find a way to make it go our way."

The Wizards controlled this one from start to finish. Ariza netted eight in the first quarter, including five straight midway through that made it 22-12.

Trevor Booker followed a Martell Webster trey with two buckets to conclude the frame, and the visitors held a commanding 31-14 edge after 12 minutes.

The lead ballooned to 20, 48-28, on a Beal 3-ball 5:40 into the second quarter, but Atlanta closed the period on a 6-0 run to pull within 11 points at the break.

Teague started the third period with a triple, and Atlanta found itself down just a point on multiple occasions during the third. Booker and Wall made timely baskets, however, to help Washington maintain its lead.

Ariza's 3/4 court shot was pure as time expired in the stanza, giving the Wizards a 91-83 advantage. It never got under five the rest of the way, with a Gortat alley-oop slam capping a 9-0 surge to seal it.

Game Notes

Webster and Booker had 13 and 12 points, respectively, while Nene finished with 10 for Washington ... The Wizards made 13-of-24 from the arc ... Lou Williams scored 14 off the bench for Atlanta ... The Hawks took 19 more free throws.