CJ McCollum has heard his share of criticism during the Washington Wizards' 14-game losing streak.

With the Wizards in another dark spot of their full-rebuild, they turned to their veteran to lift them out of the cellar.

McCollum exploded for 46 points, powering the Wizards to a 132-113 win over the Atlanta Hawks. The Wizards' second win of the season is their first since October 24th, when they defeated the Dallas Mavericks on the second night of the season.

“I got to play Play-Doh with my son today, I got to watch Cars with my daughter," McCollum said… "I told [my teammates] at shootaround ‘it’s going to be a nice night for everybody tonight, especially me.’”

McCollum, 34, shot a remarkable 68% from the field on 25 attempts, including connecting on 10 of his 13 shots from three.

His 10 made threes ties Trevor Ariza's record for most in a game in Wizards' history. Ariza set that record in February, 2014. McCollum told reporters he plans on breaking his record this year, now that he knows of its existence.

McCollum's scorching hot performance was a microcosm of the Wizards' best offensive performance.

Washington shot the ball at a season-high 57% clip from the field, including 50% of its threes dropping.

Washington jumped out to a fast start, scoring a season-high 45 points in the first quarter. The team finished the first half with a season-high of 77.

This offensive output came without the services of Washington's primary ball handler Kyshawn George. who missed the game due to illness.

The Wizards connected on 19 threes, the most in a game since they set a franchise record with 23 in one game against Indiana last year.

"It's just that we're getting better," Wizards head coach Brian Keefe said. "Obviously, we made shots tonight, but the ball was flying around, and we were pushing the pace, playing the style we want to play."

The win for Washington serves as a much-needed morale boost following the team's fourth 10+ game losing streak in the last three seasons.

Over the course of the 14-game slide, the Wizards blew double-digit leads in six contests.

"You always want to win, you're competitors," Keefe said, "It just shows you what we're capable of. Now we have to continue to stack it. I'm really pleased for the guys in the locker room because they put in a tremendous amount of time."

It wasn't just veteran contribution that stole the show at Capital One Arena.

Alex Sarr continued his excellent year two development with a 27 point, 11 rebound performance. Sarr was once again efficient, knocking down 11 of his 15  field goal attempts.

Sarr's presence as the defensive anchor for Washington was extremely noticeable. The 7'1 center finished with 2 blocks and 2 steals. Hr leads the Wizards in points per game, rebounds per game, and blocks.

Sarr's 2 blocks per game is tied for second most in the NBA.

Sarr's performance generated MVP chants in the arena.

"It was funny at first," Sarr said. "It was a small group that started it and then it got a little bigger....just great vibes."

The Wizards, who have allowed the most points per game at 128.2, had one of their best defensive performances of the year.

The team recorded a season-high 13 steals and added 8 blocks.

For a season not predicated on wins and losses, this performance eases fan concerns over the lack of competitiveness in recent weeks.

There likely will be plenty of rough nights ahead this season for the Wizards, but tonight is a reminder why they took this approach. 

Individual development of their young core is the goal. With early year two returns from Sarr and George, there's plenty to build on.

The Wizards are back in action against the 2-15 Indiana Pacers on Friday.