After two impressive home victories to kick off the opening round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs, the Washington Wizards struggled to find their rhythm against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3. The matchup was the first of the series held in Atlanta and the home team capitalized as the Hawks took it 116-98, cutting their series deficit down to 2-1.
The game was an impressive showing from the Hawks as they took control early on in the game starting with a 19-4 start and never looked back. A lot of their early lead was thanks to the dominance they established early and often around the basket, outscoring Washington 60-34 for the game in the painted area. The elevated aggressiveness of Paul Millsap was key in setting the tone for Atlanta early and the forward finished with a terrific stat line of 29 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Taking a hefty 38-20 deficit into the second quarter, the Wizards had faced this type of adversity plenty of times throughout the regular season. Washington frequently saw themselves in a hole that they would ultimately dig themselves out of on multiple occasions so they knew how to handle playing from behind.
In the second quarter, it was All-Star point guard John Wall who really started heating up, performing some jaw-dropping plays on the offensive end.
JOHN WALL’S LEFTY DUNK JUST WENT VIRAAALpic.twitter.com/OShmO5WSla
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 22, 2017
Thankfully, John Wall is a member of the #wizards…that’s the only way to explain this move. Unreal#DCFamily pic.twitter.com/PmCvLiR2yp
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 22, 2017
While Wall’s heroic antics allowed Washington to hang in there throughout the second period, the lead didn’t decrease any as the Hawks held a 64-46 advantage at the break.
The second half brought more of the same for the Wizards, as the offense just could never get in sync and Paul Millsap continued to shine for Atlanta.
Paul Millsap got the shot to fall plus the foul!!pic.twitter.com/HSA3ThYi4W
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 22, 2017
Wall continued to play out of his mind but as long as fellow guard Bradley Beal and company performed miserably, Washington wasn’t able to make a real dent until the fourth quarter rolled around. Sparked by Brandon Jennings and Kelly Oubre, Washington was able to make a mini-run and cut the lead to 12. However, that momentum was stalled once coach Scott Brooks re-inserted Beal first, then the rest of his starters.
For Atlanta, they have to be happy with how they performed physically, holding a clear edge in the paint all game. Dennis Schroder was able to exploit Washington’s inconsistent defense and pour in 27 points and get his teammates involved with 9 assists while forward Taurean Prince chipped in 16.
For Washington, Wall put up an absurdly efficient 29 points on 10-12 shooting from the field. Outside of the explosive floor general, the Wizards struggled mightily as the rest of the starters combined to score 30 points on a paltry shooting mark of 14-45.
As important as this victory was for Atlanta, it should be just as concerning for Washington. For Wall to perform as admirably as he did and to still get blown out is not a good sign moving forward for a team with Conference Finals aspirations.
Wall is guaranteed to get his we all know that, but it’s clear that the Wizards will go as far as Bradley Beal takes them. The off-guard shot 6-20 from the field en route to a subpar 12 points and without his secondary scoring to complement Wall, the Wizards lack the firepower to make any real noise. An important Game 4 for both sides lies ahead in Atlanta on Monday at 8:00 PM.
