WASHINGTON — The Atlanta Hawks rolled past the Washington Wizards 120-105 on Wednesday at Capital One Arena behind 26 points from Nickeil Alexander-Walker and a calm first NBA start from rookie Kingston Flemings.
Flemings, the eighth pick in the draft, replaced CJ McCollum in the opening five. In 23 minutes the 19-year-old scored 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting, hit both of his threes, grabbed three boards and handed out four assists.
Onyeka Okongwu reached double figures in points and rebounds for the 70th time in his career, finishing with 14 and 16. Dyson Daniels stuffed the sheet with eight points, 17 boards and eight helpers as Atlanta again cleared 30 assists as a team.
It was Trae Young’s first look at his old franchise since the January trade that sent him to Washington, where he now pairs with top overall pick AJ Dybantsa. The Hawks led 37-32 after one and 68-61 at halftime, weathered a third-quarter cut to four, then pulled away in the fourth.
Jalen Johnson missed a second game in a row, so Lu Dort started again. The same clubs tip again Friday in the capital, wrapping a quick two-game set. Flemings’ debut start and Alexander-Walker’s hot shooting gave Atlanta a road win to open the back-to-back. McCollum provided instant offense off the bench after the lineup swap, and the Hawks answered every Washington push after halftime. Anthony Davis was a constant problem in the paint for the Wizards, but Atlanta’s transition game and three-point shooting kept the lead safe down the stretch in front of a loud Capital One Arena crowd.
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