Prince, Dorsey help Hawks clip Wizards, 103-97
Tyler Dorsey scored a career-high 22 points, and Taurean Prince made big plays down the stretch as the Atlanta Hawks beat the playoff-bound Washington Wizards 103-97 Friday at Capital One Arena.
Bradley Beal scored 32 points for the Wizards, including seven straight during a 16-6 spurt to open the fourth quarter. The Hawks answered with 12-0 run and were up 99-93 after Prince hit fade-away jumper in the paint with 54.5 seconds to play.
Prince then set up Dewayne Dedmon for a sealing dunk. Prince finished with 23 points before fouling out in the final minute. Dedmon had 12 points and 14 rebounds, and John Collins also had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds for Atlanta.
With Washington playing the second of back-to-back games and having already clinched a playoff berth, All-Star John Wall sat out. The Wizards have been limiting his minutes as he returns from a two-month absence following knee surgery.
The Wizards began the night one game back of the sixth-place Miami Heat and in a tie with the Milwaukee Bucks for seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Washington hosts the Boston Celtics on Tuesday in a potential first-round playoff matchup. The Wizards close out the regular season at the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
With Atlanta's G League team, the Erie BayHawks, in the Eastern Conference Finals, Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer had 10 available players. Atlanta started strong, though, and was up 40-31 after a Collins two-handed dunk midway through the second quarter. The Hawks led 52-48 at halftime, behind 10 points and eight rebounds from Collins.
The Wizards were whistled for three technical fouls in the first half. Markieff Morris picked up two of the technicals and was ejected eight minutes into the game.
Atlanta heads to Boston to take on the Celtics on Sunday, before returning home to close out the regular season against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.
--Field Level Media
