Hawks' Zaccharie Risacher embarrasses Alex Sarr in battle of top 2 NBA Draft picks
10/30/2024 10:31 PM
The Washington Wizards swept their home-and-home series against the Atlanta Hawks, 133-120, on Wednesday behind a career-high 27 points from Bilal Coulibaly and a massive 16-4 run to begin the fourth period. Despite Trae Young’s 35 points and 15 assists, the shorthanded Hawks didn’t have enough gas to take the game when it mattered. Still, at least Hawks rookie and No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher got one over on Wizards rookie and No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr with a filthy up-and-under move in the first quarter.
Check out Risacher’s filthy post move against Sarr in this clip shared by ClutchPoints on X, formerly Twitter.
Zaccharie Risacher with the SMOOTH pivot on Alex Sarr for the bucket pic.twitter.com/ZukEHP7Zou
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 30, 2024
Wizards def. Hawks despite Young’s big night
The Hawks were without defensive guard Dyson Daniels and sharpshooter Bogdan Bogdanovic, out with a hamstring injury for at least four weeks. Moreover, wingman De’Andre Hunter also missed the game with a knee issue.
Meanwhile, the Wizards played without one of their best players, Kyle Kuzma, out with a right groin strain. Despite the injuries, Young had a big night and helped his team outscore the Wiz in the first half, while Jalen Johnson exploded for 21 points and 17 rebounds on 9-21 shooting.
Young didn’t shoot the ball well, going only 12-28 from the field and 4-13 from the three-point line, but he received some support from Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher, who poured in 17 points for the Hawks.
However, turnovers in the third quarter caught up to the Hawks and gave the Wizards easy points, giving them enough momentum to break the game open in the fourth.
“I think we were battling fatigue, is the best thing I could say,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said, via Graham Chapple for Peach Tree Hoops. “They were set in their defense, we were playing set defense a lot. Their length bothered us some.”
Likewise, Young lamented the injuries that depleted their roster for the game.
“It’s not great, it’s not fun. Obviously, I wish my team was full and healthy,” the All-Star guard said. “Wish I could have everybody out there with me…but they’re not and we’ve got to figure it out.”
Ultimately, the battle of the top rookies ended in Zaccharie Risacher’s favor, as Alex Sarr scored only 11 points on 3-9 shooting.
The post Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher embarrasses Alex Sarr in battle of top 2 NBA Draft picks appeared first on ClutchPoints.
