Atlanta 116, Washington 96
Josh Smith finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds and Joe Johnson added 21 points as the Atlanta Hawks jumped out early and never looked back in a 116-96 thrashing of the Washington Wizards on Thursday.
Al Horford chipped in 15 points and 13 boards and Jamal Crawford poured in 15 points off the bench for the Hawks, who snapped a three-game slide.
A 19-4 run in the first quarter put Atlanta firmly in control, as it led 28-18 after the opening frame and pushed it to 53-36 at the half. Johnson had 13 points at the break and Smith added 10.
The third quarter proved to be more of the same, with the Hawks stretching the edge to 89-63 thanks to a 9-0 spurt to close the period. The starters took most of the fourth quarter off, with Smith playing a team-high 29 total minutes in the contest.
Nick Young scored 20 points and Gilbert Arenas chipped in 21 for the Wizards, who shot 39 percent from the floor in falling to 0-7 on the road.