Preview: Wizards Face Old Friends On the Road vs. Atlanta Hawks

The 16-40 Washington Wizards will travel down south to the state of Georgia to take on the 28-31 Atlanta Hawks on February 24, 2026 at 7:30 PM ET. 

Washington is coming off a lopsided 129-112 loss against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday where LaMelo Ball had his way, scoring 37 points and knocking down ten three pointers. 

Although Washington got dominated on Sunday, they've gotten off to a hot start post All-Star break as they recorded back-to-back wins over the Indiana Pacers last Thursday and Friday. 

Washington will look to stay above .500 in the second half of the season with a victory against Atlanta, who currently occupies the 9th seed in the Eastern Conference. 

Atlanta is led by breakout and most improved candidate Jalen Johnson, who is averaging 23.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.8 stocks on 49.4% from the field and 34.3% from three. The first time All-Star has taken a leap in year five, and should be a tough cover for Washington tonight. 

I expect Washington to try and slow down Johnson with defensive stopper Bilal Coulibaly, who has excelled as of late. In his last five games, Coulibaly is averaging 12.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists with 2.8 stocks on 50% shooting from the field and 38.9% shooting from behind the arc. Everyone understands how elite of a perimeter defender Coulibaly is, but it's his offensive production that worries fans. However, Couliably has a TS% (true shooting percentage) and 59.9% over this five game sample size; extremely encouraging to see as Coulibaly has struggled offensively throughout his NBA career.

In this matchup, Washington is expected to face old friends CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. McCollum and Kispert were traded to Atlanta in early December as part of the Trae Young trade, and have both made solid impressions with their new team. 

McCollum has been one of Atlanta's most reliable scoring options, as he's averaging 18.8 points on 45.9% shooting from the field and 37.7% shooting from three. Kispert, on the other hand, has gotten off to a slower start with his new team, as he's averaging 9.5 points on 43.8% shooting from the field and 33.8% from behind the arc. Kispert was expected to fill the void of sharpshooter Luke Kennard, but has struggled from three in his 19 games with Atlanta. 

Washington will look to slow down Johnson, but cannot disregard McCollum and Kispert as they know what these two players are capable of. 

Washington is expected to be without sophomore breakout Alex Sarr as he's dealing with a hamstring injury. They will also be without Trae Young and Anthony Davis who are still rehabbing their injuries that they suffered on their former teams. 

Tip-off is set for 7:30 PM ET.