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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
ATLANTA (AP) -- Get this: The Washington Wizards have a winning
streak.
Chris Whitney scored 18 points on a sore left ankle, including a
key 3-pointer with 57 seconds remaining, and Washington rallied to
beat the Atlanta Hawks 106-99 Friday night.
The Wizards (10-34) have won three in a row -- their longest
winning streak of the season. That's big news for a team that put
together back-to-back victories only one other time.
"The last few weeks, we've played well," Whitney said. "We've
been out of only a couple of games. We have confidence now. It's
feeling good. We know we can put a streak together."
Of course, two of the victories in Washington's streak have come
at the expense of the almost-as-woeful Hawks (14-27). Atlanta lost
to the Wizards for the second in six days and has five straight
defeats overall.
"The worst thing about it, we've got to come back tomorrow (at
Cleveland)," said Jason Terry, who led the Hawks with 31 points.
"I'm not going to deny it. It hurts, it hurts real bad."
Washington's victory mimicked a similar come-from-behind effort
on Sunday at the MCI Center, when the Wizards ended a nine-game
losing streak with a 94-90 victory over the Hawks.
Washington was bolstered by the return of Whitney, Mitch
Richmond and Rod Strickland.
Richmond scored 18 points and assisted on the biggest basket of
the game after missing 25 straight games with a knee injury.
Strickland, who had missed 14 in a row because of disciplinary
matters and a slight shoulder injury, added six points in 17
minutes.
Whitney missed his first game in nearly two years on Tuesday
with a sprained ankle. But he returned sooner than expected.
"We have our team back," coach Leonard Hamilton said. "Now we
can go out and play and bond together good."
Juwan Howard led the Wizards with 21 points, including a 14-foot
jumper with 26 seconds left that maintained the six-point cushion.
Atlanta was on top most of the way, only to blow it in the
fourth quarter. The Wizards went ahead for the first time on
Strickland's jumper with 7:52 remaining, then outscored the Hawks
20-7 over the final six minutes.
Whitney was able to push off enough on his ankle to make four of
six from outside the 3-point arc, including one with 57 seconds
remaining that essentially sealed the victory.
Richmond set up the basket by feigning a drive into the lane,
luring Terry away from his man. Richmond flipped a no-look,
behind-the-back pass to an open Whitney, who drained the 3 to give
the Wizards a 100-94 lead.
"He throws a behind-the-back, bowling-ball pass, and they guy
hits a 3," Terry said, shaking his head. "You want them to shoot
a shot like that. Some things you can't control."
Despite the second-worst record in the league, Washington played
with much more emotion than the Hawks. The guys on the bench were
jumping around much of the final quarter, exhorting their
teammates; the Atlanta reserves sat emotionless at the other end of
the court.
The Hawks built a 10-point lead before the game was six minutes
old, were up by 14 late in the third quarter and took an 81-72 lead
to the final period. But they couldn't hold off the Wizards.
Washington shot a blistering 65 percent (11-of-17) in the fourth
and was perfect at the foul line, hitting all 10 attempts.
Atlanta, on the other hand, shot just 35 percent (7-of-20). The
Hawks rarely went inside, drawing just one foul that earned a trip
to the foul line.
"That fourth quarter hurt us so bad," Terry said. "That's
been our downfall all year long."
Game notes
Howard wagged his finger at Dikembe Mutombo after scoring
over the Hawks' 7-foot-2 center, mimicking Mutombo's trademark
move. ... Washington won for only the fourth time in 23 road games.
... The Hawks dropped to 10-11 at Philips Arena. ... Richmond's
described his rehab from a partially torn ligament in his left
knee: "I've been playing a lot of one-on-one to get to this
point."
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Washington Clubhouse
Atlanta Clubhouse
Where's Mr. Wizard? Jordan defends management style
RECAPS
Philadelphia 105
Detroit 89
Washington 106
Atlanta 99
Boston 99
Phoenix 83
Houston 106
Vancouver 89
Seattle 107
Golden State 105
LA Lakers 113
New Jersey 101
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Juwan Howard Official Site
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