Ex-Warrior Kuminga steals the show in Atlanta debut, leading Hawks past Wizards 119-98
By PAUL NEWBERRY
ATLANTA (AP) — Former Golden State Warrior Jonathan Kuminga scored a season-high 27 points in his debut for the Hawks, who blew out the hapless Washington Wizards 119-98 Tuesday night in Trae Young’s return to Atlanta.
Acquired by the Hawks at the trade deadline after falling out of favor in Golden State, Kuminga came off the bench to make a huge impact for his new team.
He delivered a thunderous dunk shortly after taking the court for the first time near the midway point of the first quarter, breaking into a big smile as he headed the other way.
That was only the start of Kuminga’s big night. Having completed his recovery from a left knee bone bruise, the high-flying forward from Congo knocked down a trio of 3-pointers to go along with seven rebounds, four assists and two steals in 24 1/2 minutes.
Young was the focus at the beginning of the night. The longtime Hawks star was dealt to the Wizards in early January, ending an eight-year tenure that included four All-Star Game berths and an improbable run to the Eastern Conference finals in 2021.
The point guard has yet to play for his new team, which seems mainly concerned with landing a high draft pick for next season as Young recovers from knee and quadriceps injuries.
The Hawks played a tribute video to Young during a break in the second quarter, drawing a standing ovation from a crowd in which many fans were wearing his No. 11 Atlanta jersey. Otherwise, he could only watch from the bench as the rough equivalent of a G League squad was blown out by the home team.
Atlanta led by 15 at the end of the first quarter and totally ran away from the Wizards in the third period, stretching the lead to 100-64.
Will Riley led Washington with 18 points.
Up next
The teams meet again Thursday night to complete back-to-back games in Atlanta.