By Joel Bartilotta
RotoWire
The Washington Wizards overcame a double-digit halftime deficit to defeat the Atlanta Hawks, 71-60, in the second round of the Las Vegas Summer League tournament Thursday at Cox Pavilion.
The 10th-seeded Hawks led, 37-25, after two quarters but fell apart in the second half as Washington’s defense tightened. Atlanta scored just 23 points after halftime, as the No. 7 Wizards finished the game on a 14-3 run.
Both teams struggled offensively, each shooting 35.9 percent from the field, but the Wizards controlled the boards, 41-32, and hit six more 3-pointers as the Hawks went 2-for-17 from long distance.
Kelly Oubre Jr., who is averaging 19.8 points in four games, continued his summer breakout, scoring a game-high 22 points with six rebounds. Danuel House finished with 15 points and five rebounds off the bench, and Jarrell Eddie had 11 points and five rebounds for Washington (3-1).
Brandon Ashley led the Hawks (3-2) with 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting and had five rebounds. Taurean Prince went 2-for-10 from the field but totaled 10 points and seven rebounds. Bryce Cotton added 11 points, and Edy Taveras finished with eight points, seven rebounds and five blocks.
The Wizards advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals where they will play the Chicago Bulls-Dallas Mavericks winner.
