LAS VEGAS — The No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks in the 2024 NBA Draft battled it out in their first summer league game.
The game went back and forth on Friday evening, however the Washington Wizards overcame the Hawks 94-88.
Atlanta’s No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher led the team in scoring.
His 18 points was one point more than 2023 second round pick Mouhamed Gueye’s 17. Risacher also outscored No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr, who finished the game with 12 points.
Risacher shot a solid 33.3% from the 3-point line and nearly 44% from the field. He took three of his nine 3-point attempts, with one coming at the start of the game. He also had five rebounds, two assists and a block.
The Malaga, Spain native scored five points in 40 seconds to help tie up the game 7-7 in the first quarter. He then kicked the ball out to teammate Dylan Windler, who’s 3-pointer helped Atlanta take a three-point lead.
Neither team scored for a whole minute until 2024 second-round pick Nikola Đjurišić rose up and battled through contact from two Wizards defenders for an emphatic two-handed dunk.
Atlanta used the momentum from its 2024 rookies to end the quarter with a nine-point, 23-14 lead.
The Hawks kept the momentum going to start the second quarter, but Washington’s own rookies — alongside three-year veteran Justin Champagnie — turned the tides.
Sarr, who was tied for the third leading scorer on the team, had a solid day offensively, but was the most impressive on the defensive side of the floor.
His four blocks and seven rebounds came at key moments in the game, specifically in the second quarter.
Sarr’s efforts got Washington the ball back in Champagnie and fellow 2024 first round draft pick Bub Carrington’s hands, who made the most of the opportunity.
Carrington and Champagnie lead the Wizards in scoring with 19 and 18 points, respectively, and were a key part of a 12-0 run Washington went on in the second quarter.
Suddenly, the Wizards went from being down by 13-points, to only being down by one.
From there, the two teams battled it out until Washington retook the lead for the first time since the first quarter — Carrington scored the team’s first five points to kick off the game, until Risacher tied it up.
While the Hawks retook the lead thanks to a Rob Baker II 3-pointer, the damage had been done.
The Wizards outpaced the Hawks 26 points to 23 in the third quarter and 28 points to 23 in the fourth quarter.
Risacher helped keep the game close, including a game-tying left handed dunk that got teammates and audience members on their feet towards the start of the third quarter.
The Hawks even held a lead through most of the fourth quarter until Washington’s third 2024 first round pick Kyshawn George sank a 3-pointer to take the lead, a lead the Wizards wouldn’t relinquish.
Risacher and the Hawks will play its second summer league game against the 1-0 San Antonio Spurs, who are led by No. 4 overall pick Stephon Castle, at 8 p.m. on Sunday.