Hawks wave wand and dazzle Wiz in third quarter, 125-111

Big game from new Hawk Georges Niang.

The Hawks debuted a new team tonight with the additions of Georges Niang — inserted into the starting lineup at power forward — Caris LeVert and Terance Mann all making their first appearances with the Hawks tonight. With the banged up Washington Wizards on the other side, it was a perfect opportunity to ease that trio into the rotation.

One thing that has been constant this season? Trae Young finding Zaccharie Risacher on cuts:

Terance Mann and Caris LeVert later made their debuts off the bench in the first quarter, but none of the new additions could find their rhythm on the court. In fact, the entire Hawks offense as a whole struggled to get going.

The only consistent scorer in the quarter was Dyson Daniels getting busy driving to the basket:

Later, LeVert registered his first points in a Hawks uniform, the first of the trio to score:

Still, after one quarter, the Hawks trailed 30-26.

The offensive flow was much better in the first portion of the second quarter, with the Hawks pulling virtually even with Washington. Vit Krejci and Dyson Daniels in particular were crisp in getting into the paint and kicking it out to shooters like Larry Nance Jr. and Risacher.

Onyeka Okongwu found Mann on a cut for his first points as a Hawks midway through the second quarter:

But the Hawks had lapses defensively, and the Wizards took advantage over and over.

Trae Young took over late in the second quarter, going on a personal 9-0 run to bolster the Hawks scoring. In fact, he ended the half responsible for Atlanta’s final 14 points, with a dish to Niang the only non-score from Young.

At halftime, the Hawks led 63-58. Young had 23 points and six assists to this point.

Out of the half, Risacher drained his second triple of the contest:

And then Georges Niang went absolutely unconscious, hitting four threes in rapid succession.

That burst stretched out the lead into double digits for the Hawks. From there, guys were breaking out behind the back dribbles and adding flair and fun to the proceedings.

Young even put on a show for the flex cam with this and-1.

After three quarters, the Hawks were cruising 104-83.

The Wizards were able to go on a small run early in the fourth quarter and cut the lead to single digits. It was a reminder that the team needed to lock in and secure the game, regardless of the talent available on the other side.

Atlanta stayed calm and kept some distance from Washington down the stretch.

Atlanta finally put away the Wizards, 125-111.

Trae Young finished with a monster 35-point, 14-assist night including being +36 in plus/minus. Zaccharie Risacher added 18 points and Georges Niang poured in 16 points in his Hawks debut.

The win moves Atlanta to 25-28 with two more games left on the road trip heading into the All-Star weekend break. Next up is Orlando on Monday evening.