UNDATED (AP) — The Washington Wizards have continued their impressive start under new coach Wes Unseld Jr. by knocking off one of last season’s Eastern Conference finalists.
The Wizards are 4-1 after Bradley Beal scored 27 points in a 122-111 downing of the Hawks. Montrezl Harrell added 25 with 13 rebounds for Washington, which won without injured guard Spencer Dinwiddie.
The Hawks cut a 20-point second-half deficit to five in the fourth quarter, but Harrell dunked off a pass from Beal before Beal slammed home a basket.
John Collins led Atlanta with 28 points on 14-of-16 shooting. Trae Young added 15 points and 13 assists.
In Thursday’s other NBA action:
— Joel Embiid played through lingering knee pain while scoring 30 points and grabbing 18 rebounds in the 76ers’ 110-102 win over the Pistons. Embiid sank four free throws and buried a 3 from the top of the arc down the stretch to save the Sixers from a complete collapse. Tobias Harris scored 17 points and Maxey had 16 for the Sixers.
— Ja Morant made a driving layup with 57.9 seconds left and finished with 30 points as the Grizzlies knocked off the Warriors, 104-101 in overtime. Desmond Bane scored 19 for the Grizzlies, who ended a two-game skid and concluded their four-game West Coast trip with a back-to-back following a 116-96 defeat at Portland on Wednesday. Stephen Curry wound up with 36 points but missed two key 3-pointers late.
— Bojan Bogdanovic scored 19 points to lead seven Jazz players in double-figures in a 122-91 thrashing of the Rockets. Rudy Gobert contributed 16 points and 14 boards for Utah, which led by 21 at halftime. Jordan Clarkson chipped in 16 points, and fellow backup Joe Ingles had 14 to help the Jazz move to 4-0.
— Luka Doncic scored 10 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter of the Mavericks’ 104-99 victory against the Spurs. Jalen Brunson added 19 points for the Mavericks, while Dorian Finney-Smith had 14 and Maxi Kleber 12. San Antonio jumped out to a 25-5 lead, and the Mavericks didn’t have a field goal until Doncic scored with 6:33 left in the first quarter.
— Kemba Walker delivered 21 points and RJ Barrett added 20 as the Knicks handed the Bulls their first loss of the season, 104-103. Julius Randle had 13 points and 16 rebounds as New York won for the fourth time in five games. Chicago star Zack LaVine scored 25 points despite playing with a torn ligament in his left thumb.
