To kickoff, Wednesday night’s games, the Washington Wizards defeat the Atlanta Hawks 109-101 to take a 2-0 series lead headed into Atlanta. The Wizards were led by their backcourt duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal who accounted for 63-points in this contest.
In the first half, Washington got out to a relatively fast start as they raced to a 14-6 lead with 6:03 left in the first quarter thanks to a 12-0 run. However, Atlanta countered just like game one and ended the quarter on a run of their own to take a 24-23 lead. The Hawks made it a point of emphasis to attack the basket early, something they didn’t do in game one.
After a physical game one, this contest was anticipated to be an even more physical contest. Subsequently, the referees called this game tight and for much of the second quarter, free throws were being taken by both teams. Because of this, neither team could seize momentum going into halftime and Washington led 51-43.
In the 3rd quarter, Washington quickly went over the foul limit just 3-minutes into the quarter. From there, Atlanta was able to oppose their will and they were led by Paul Millsap and Dennis Schroder. Atlanta also benefited from four Washington players being out with four fouls each. The high point for Atlanta was a 13-0 run they went on starting at the 5 minutes mark and took a 78-74 lead headed into the fourth with full momentum.
That is, until the start of the fourth where Wizards guard Brandon Jennings caught fire by scoring six straight points and helping the Wizards tie it at 84. From there, the game was a back and forth affair as the two teams traded baskets and the lead.
Make way for Dennis Schröder!
(via @clippittv)pic.twitter.com/ixaCUVKwy8
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 20, 2017
However, the turning point in the fourth quarter was the Hawks field goal drought for over 3 minutes that allowed Washington to capitalize. From that point, Washington was led by their backcourt of Wall and Beal on both the defensive and offensive ends of the court.
Beal’s late three to push the lead to 106-98 with 38 seconds remaining put the finishing touches on a game two win for the Wizards. Although the Hawks had a big game from Paul Millsap who scored 27-points, they weren’t able to hold onto the lead in the fourth quarter.
Bradley Beal sinks the dagger 3!#wizardsHawks pic.twitter.com/DP7n66ZfD2
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 20, 2017
Now facing a 2-0 deficit, the Atlanta Hawks are headed home in hopes to grab a game three victory in front of their home crowd on Friday at 5:30.
