Washington is the Eastern Conference's most surprising team. Atlanta shot 22 free throws thanks to Washington's hyperactivity turning into chopping and clobbering.
The Wizards were 3-5 in their final 8 regular season games. Here's a look at their matchups in the 2016-2017 campaign.
These two teams split their season series 2-2. Bazemore couldn't stay in front of him, so Tim Hardaway Jr. had to try to help. Paul Millsap is anchoring their defense while providing a wonderful all-around year once again.
Wall, who was a part of nearly every point in the third quarter either by scoring or assisting, at one moment pointed to the court and got the crowd going after passing to Morris who dunked. There were a near-constant barrage of tipped passes, bad fouls and turnovers that made the first half more befitting of a mid-January matinee rather than a playoff opener.
Washington notched their first win of the season in their second matchup against Atlanta. The Hawks won six of their last nine games. Kyle Korver missed a shot at the buzzer that would have tied the game up at the end of regulation.
Howard did manage to score on a putback plus a powerhouse baseline move against Gortat, but his overall inferior play limited him to seven points on 2-of-6 shooting, and reduced his playing time to 29 minutes. They won home-court advantage and they got this first game. Washington's starters scored as many points (86) as the Hawks' entire team.
PORTER TIME: Porter improved his 3-point shooting to a career-best 43.4 per cent even as opponents started keying on his shot.
The Wizards were resilient in this one. Atlanta started 9-3, then went 1-10, then 20-9, then 7-15 and then 6-2, before giving away their final game of the regular season to IN when they sat all five starters. That benefits the Wizards, assuming they emerge victorious over the Hawks, because it prevents a Boston sweep from occurring.
Meanwhile, as Brooks noted, both teams were spatially challenged.
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"It was a team effort in just trying to show him a lot of bodies", he said.
John Wall is a superstar no doubt. They traded Jeff Teague for a draft pick to give the reins to Dennis Schroder, but hung on to expensive veterans.
During the regular season, the Washington Wizards lacked physicality. He can make those at a 40-something percent clip.
"That's how I've been thinking this season", Wall told The Vertical. With Beal struggling, Wall's playoff career-high 32 points with 14 assists made the difference.
Hawks broadcast partners FOX Sports Southeast and SportsRadio 92.9 The Game will carry playoff contests locally. They lost Al Horford to free agency, but spent money on Dwight Howard as a replacement. Despite being past his prime, Howard is still an interior presence - especially on the boards. Millsap isn't wrong. He also knows that the Hawks have to find a way to match that toughness going forward.
Like Wall, he wasn't the only bright spot in the game for Washington.
After only scoring two goals combined in the first two games of the series, Columbus scored three goals in just over six minutes of the first period. Atlanta averaged 103.2 points per game on offense this season while allowing 104 on defense. He and Markieff Morris will also need to work defensively as well. This team's playoff ceiling is higher than you think, and if you want an indicator of how far they'll make it, just watch Wall.
On the positive side, the Hawks got a significant boost from the bench in the first half.
The normally calm duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal became vocal, gesturing to fans after each successful offensive possession. Despite a relatively mediocre end to the season, Washington should be able to pull out the series victory.
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