NBA: Bilal Coulibaly’s career night guides Wizards past Hawks

Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) shoots the ball over Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) in the second half of an NBA game at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Bilal Coulibaly scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed nine rebounds, helping lead the Washington Wizards to a 133-120 victory over the visiting Atlanta Hawks in the NBA on Wednesday.

Jordan Poole added 24 points and a team-high nine assists for Washington, which won its second game in as many tries against the Hawks, following a two-point victory in Atlanta on Monday.

Jonas Valanciunas and Corey Kispert put up 22 and 16 points, respectively, off the Wizards’ bench. Carlton Carrington also scored 16 for Washington, while Alexandre Sarr and Kyshawn George each added 11.

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Trae Young led Atlanta with 35 points and 15 assists, while Jalen Johnson added 21 points and 17 rebounds. Zaccharie Risacher and David Roddy each scored 17 for the Hawks, who have dropped three straight.

Clint Capela chipped in 12 for Atlanta, which was outscored 76-55 in the second half.

Trailing 82-73 with 5:31 left in the third quarter, the Wizards went on a 16-2 run, taking an 89-84 lead on Coulibaly’s 3-pointer with 2:11 remaining in the period.

After Valanciunas’ layup gave the Wizards a 91-86 lead, Keaton Wallace and Young connected on back-to-back triples for Atlanta before Coulibaly’s layup gave Washington a 93-92 advantage entering the fourth quarter.

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Three of Washington’s first four field goals of the final quarter were 3-pointers, helping the Wizards jump out to a 104-94 lead at the 9:52 mark. A pair of Capela free throws momentarily stopped the run before Sarr’s midrange jumper and Kispert’s triple extended the Washington lead to 109-96 with 8:52 remaining.

Johnson’s 3-pointer cut Atlanta’s deficit to 117-106 with 6:19 left, but six straight Washington free throws gave the Wizards an insurmountable 17-point lead.

Washington got off to a hot start in the first quarter, as it led 24-11 after Valanciunas’ 3-pointer at the six-minute mark. Atlanta answered with a 15-2 run, tying the game on Young’s floater with 2:45 left, and eventually held a 34-33 lead heading into the second quarter.

From there, the Hawks continued their momentum into the second quarter, opening with a 14-5 run to jump ahead 48-38.

A pair of Sarr free throws cut Washington’s halftime deficit to 65-57.

Young led all first-half scorers with 24 points, while Coulibaly paced Washington with 15. –Field Level Media