Wizards vs. Hawks recap: Washington fades in 4th quarter, loses to Atlanta

The Washington Wizards found themselves in another close game on Friday night, but were unable to stop Josh Smith down the stretch, losing to the Atlanta Hawks, 104-95, at Philips Arena in Atlanta.

The Hawks controlled the first half, taking a 13 point lead into halftime. However, Washington would battle back behind Kevin Seraphin and Bradley Beal, with a pair of Beal free throws cutting the Atlanta lead to three with just under four minutes left. Josh Smith would take over at that point for the Hawks, scoring eight points in leading Atlanta on a 12-2 run to take control of the game.

The loss drops Washington to 2-14 on the season, including 0-8 on the road. Seraphin led the team with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Beal added 18. Jordan Crawford (14) and Nene (12) also scored double-digits for the Wizards, who shot 46% from the field.

All of the Atlanta starters had big games, nobody moreso than Smith, who scored 23 points and pulled down 15 boards. Jeff Teague added 19, followed by Devin Harris (15), DeShawn Stevenson (15), and Al Horford, who had 14 points to go along with 14 rebounds. The Hawks outrebounded the Wizards 47-32 on the night.

Washington will return to the Verizon Center for a Saturday night match-up with the Golden State Warriors.