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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Another Washington Wizards losing streak is
over. And that means it's safe for Richard Hamilton to turn the TV
back on.
|  | | Richard Hamilton made 12 of 19 shots for the Wizards, who won for only the eighth time this season. |
Hamilton, making his fourth start of the season, scored 29
points, and Juwan Howard had 25 as the Wizards stopped their latest
losing skid at nine with Sunday's 94-90 victory over the Atlanta
Hawks.
"This makes your whole day better," Hamilton said. "You can
go home and relax, turn on the TV, watch ESPN and things like that.
I haven't watched SportsCenter in a long time."
Dikembe Mutombo certainly wasn't relaxed as he shook his head in
the Atlanta locker room. The Hawks, who have fallen apart in the
fourth quarter for three straight games and are 11 below .500,
don't get to play weaker teams often -- and they're embarrassed when
they lose to one.
"Looking at the Wizards and our team, that's not a team that's
supposed to beat us," said Mutombo, who had 10 points and 15
rebounds. "The level of competition is not there. We are a much
better ball club. Are we mentally not tough enough to finish a
game? That I don't know. But I think we're better than them."
Hamilton, put in the starting lineup last week as coach Leonard
Hamilton desperately searches for a winning combination, made 12 of
19 shots, many of them with flair. He showed off his spin moves,
his running floaters and left Brevin Knight flat-footed with a
behind-the-back dribble to set up a jumper that gave the Wizards an
85-79 lead with 3:06 to play.
Hamilton even survived a long spell at point guard when Chris
Whitney crashed to the floor and injured an ankle in the first
quarter. Whitney, the team's only reliable point guard while
disgruntled Rod Strickland sits out with a mild shoulder injury,
returned from the locker room early in the second quarter and
finished with a valiant 18 points, nine assists and five rebounds.
Asked if he would play in the Wizards' next game Tuesday,
Whitney said: "I have to go. I have no choice."
Knight scored a career-high 31 points and had 10 assists for the
Hawks.
The two teams -- a combined 37 games under .500 -- played a tight
game. The score was 64-64 entering the fourth period.
Hamilton and Whitney combined on a four-point possession --
Whitney made a 3-pointer, and Hamilton was fouled underneath and
made the free throw -- to put the Wizards ahead for good, 73-70,
with 8:42 to go. Whitney had 12 points in the fourth quarter,
making a pair of 3-pointers and all six of his free throws.
Tyrone Nesby's jumper put Washington ahead 87-83 with 1:17 to
play, and the Wizards closed the victory by going 7-for-7 from the
line the rest of the way.
"Our guys did a good job of not taking one possession off in
the second half," Leonard Hamilton said. "The guys stayed focused
and played with tremendous energy. They played with the
togetherness and spirit it takes to win on this level. Hopefully,
we can keep that."
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Atlanta Clubhouse
Washington Clubhouse
RECAPS
Indiana 87
New York 74
Washington 94
Atlanta 90
Toronto 110
Philadelphia 106
Utah 109
Phoenix 98
Minnesota 96
Vancouver 94
Miami 103
LA Lakers 92
Milwaukee 102
Detroit 98
Golden State 94
Boston 91
Seattle 109
Sacramento 107
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Juwan Howard Official Site
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