Atlanta Hawks crush Washington Wizards for eighth straight win

Balanced scoring and a dominant fourth quarter helped the NBA's hottest team to another win on Sunday.

Kyle Korver hit 5-for-7 from long distance and led eight Hawks in double figures with 19 points as the Atlanta Hawks toppled the Washington Wizards 120-89 for their eighth straight win.

DeMarre Carroll gave 16 points with four steals, Al Horford netted 15 points and Jeff Teague had 11 with a game-high 10 assists for Atlanta, winners in 22 of 24 since a 7-6 start.

Atlanta has a 3 1/2 game lead on Toronto and Chicago for best record in the East. It kicks off a stretch of four road games in five days in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

John Wall paced the Wizards with 15 points and eight assists, but he committed eight of their 20 turnovers. Atlanta turned the ball over just nine times as a team.

An 8-2 run early in the third quarter helped the Hawks turn a five-point halftime lead into a 64-54 advantage.

Wall's jumper near the midpoint of the period had Washington within two when three Carroll free throws sparked another Hawks run. Pero Antic and Carroll hit 3s on consecutive touches on the 13-2 flurry, which Thabo Sefolosha capped with a tip-in at 1:19.

Sefolosha followed his trey four minutes into the fourth with a drive and dish to Mike Scott for a layup. His outlet pass to Scott on the next possession led to a transition jam, a 20-point Hawk lead and a timeout.

The Hawks outscored Washington 33-12 in the fourth to create the lopsided final.

Game Notes

This was Atlanta's fifth wire-to-wire win this season ... The Hawks are 12-1 in their last 13 home games versus Washington ... Washington is 3-4 in its last seven games ... Atlanta's bench outscored Washington's, 48-27.

[SportsNetwork.com]