Atlanta’s quest for a second NBA title is right back on track after beating the Washington Wizards, 106-101, in Game 4 on Monday night to even their series at two games apiece. Jeff Teague was the star of the show for the Hawks who now set their sights on building a 3-2 series lead this coming Wednesday.
Who will emerge victorious in this pivotal Game 5? Read on for a breakdown of this critical matchup and while you’re at it you can check out our Game 5 previews of Cleveland vs. Chicago and LA Clippers vs. Houston.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Washington Wizards vs. Atlanta Hawks Game 5 Preview
Series Scores & Schedule
Game 1 – May 3, Washington Wizards 104 at Atlanta Hawks 98
Game 2 – May 5, Washington Wizards 90 at Atlanta Hawks 106
Game 3 – May 9, Atlanta Hawks 101 at Washington Wizards 103
Game 4 – May 11, Atlanta Hawks 106 at Washington Wizards 101
Game 5 – May 13, 8:00 PM ET, Washington Wizards at Atlanta Hawks – view all NBA lines
Game 6 – May 15, TBD, Atlanta Hawks at Washington Wizards
Game 7* – May 18, 8:00 PM ET, Washington Wizards at Atlanta Hawks
* If necessary
Betting on the Washington Wizards
There would be no endgame heroics for Paul Pierce this time around.
[sc:NBA240banner ]The veteran missed a possible game-tying three-pointer with nine seconds remaining in the clock as the Wizards crashed to a five-point defeat to Atlanta in Game 4 on Monday night. With that being said, Washington couldn’t have asked for more from Pierce who carried the scoring cudgels for the injury-plagued Wizards alongside Bradley Beal.
Pierce had a sterling all-around performance in Game 4, putting up 22 points, five rebounds and three blocks. He had a terrific shooting night, going 8 of 13 from the field including 5 of 7 from beyond the arc. Beal also had a superb outing in Game 4, scoring 34 points, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out seven assists in 44 minutes of action.
Pierce and Beal have stepped up big time in John Wall’s absence, averaging a combined 40.3 points in the last three games that the All-Star point guard has been out. They can’t do it all by themselves though and the Wizards need their other players to contribute for them to stand a chance in this series.
Marcin Gortat and Otto Porter were horrendous in Game 4, scoring just three and four points respectively on Monday night. Those performances were extremely disappointing considering they combined for 31 points on 13-of-27 shooting just the previous game. In Game 4, they shot a combined 2 of 11 from the field.
The Wizards need every bit of offensive production from their role players with John Wall still out with a hand injury. Wall was averaging 17.4 points and a whopping 12.6 assists per game in the postseason prior to his injury.
The good news for head coach Randy Wittman is that backup Ramon Sessions has been huge for the Wizards of late. Since assuming the starting point guard duties back in Game 2, Sessions is averaging 14 points and five assists per contest.
The Wizards are 7-2 ATS in their last nine road games.
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Betting on the Atlanta Hawks
With their season hanging in the balance, the Atlanta Hawks picked the perfect time to rediscover their old form.
The Hawks’ much-vaunted offense finally resurfaced on Monday as they edged past the Washington Wizards in Game 4 to level their best-of-seven series at 2-2. Four players scored in double-figures for the Hawks who shot 47.1% from the field in Game 4.
Leading the way for the Hawks was Jeff Teague who scored 26 huge points, none bigger than the three-pointer he made late in the game that gave Atlanta a 104-97 advantage. It was a brilliant all-around performance from the 2015 All-Star, who also had eight assists, four rebounds and two steals in the game.
Providing some quality support to Teague was Atlanta’s frontcourt duo of Al Horford and Paul Millsap. Horford had 18 points and 10 rebounds while Millsap scored 19 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out six dimes. It was a huge bounce-back game for Millsap who only had eight points back in Game 3.
What proved to be the difference in this game, however, was Atlanta’s excellent ball movement. They dished out a total of 30 assists in Game 4, seven more than their assist total in Game 3. They need to replicate that feat in Game 5 for them to grab the edge in this series. The Hawks are averaging 30 dimes in their two wins thus far in this series. In their two losses to the Wizards though, they’re averaging just 25 assists per game.
The Hawks are 8-2 SU and 6-4 ATS in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Atlanta wins, 102-95, to go 3-2 up in the series.
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