Hawks' Horford hits game-winning layup to snatch pivotal Game 5 from Wall's Wizards

Move over, Paul Pierce. It's Al Horford's turn to call game.

Horford scored 23 points including the game-winning basket to help the Atlanta Hawks take Game 5 from the Washington Wizards by a score of 82-81.

John Wall made his triumphant return to the Wizards' lineup on Wednesday. The superstar guard played 37 minutes despite five non-displaced fractures in his left hand and wrist and gave his team a huge spark.

However, the Wizards simply had no answers for Horford, who submitted his finest two-way performance of the post-season. Horford shut down the Wizards inside the paint, while frustrating Washington's bigs to no end on offense with his lethal inside-out game.

For a moment, it looked as if Pierce had once again buried the Hawks with a dagger jumper. Pierce hit a three to put the Wizards up with nine seconds left, but Horford responded with a layup following a desperate scramble to help Atlanta to the win.

The Hawks now hold a 3-2 series lead heading into Friday's game in Washington.

Turning Point

The Wizards' defense looked to have Atlanta's attack under wraps. The Hawks went seven minutes without a basket as they were 0-of-9 from the floor to start the fourth quarter.

But in classic Hawks fashion, they used the long-bomb to jumpstart their offense. Kyle Korver rose up and drained a 27-foot 3-pointer, followed by a corner three by Horford. That cut Washington's lead to just one.

This got the Hawks right back into the game, which then settled into a painfully close back-and-forth affair heading down the stretch. All looked lost for the Hawks after Pierce rose from the dead to coolly drain a corner three and give Washington a one-point lead with eight seconds left.

But the Hawks had one more trick up their sleeve. Dennis Schroder drove hard to the rim and missed a layup thanks to a block by Wall, but Horford dutifully trailed the play and made a putback to secure the win.

Star Performer

Horford was a rock for the Hawks, holding them steady despite a miserable outing for much of the team.

The Hawks' point guard duo of Schroder and Jeff Teague combined to shoot 4-of-17 from the field with 11 turnovers. However, they always found success when playing pick-and-pop with Horford, who drained five jumpshots against Washington's plodding bigs.

Horford was also effective in the paint. He crashed the glass for putbacks and threw down a handful of impressive dunks.

But Horford's biggest contribution was on defense. Horford anchored the paint for Atlanta on a night where the Wizards were unable to hit their jumpshots. Horford put the clamps on Nene, who shot just 4-of-11 and Horford recorded five blocks.

The end result was a tremendous line for Horford: 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting, 11 rebounds, two assists, five blocks and one game-winner. It was a world-class performance for Horford when his team needed it most.

Highlight Reel

Bradley Beal with no regard for his own safety:

Horford gets up for the filthy block:

Additional highlights:

• John Wall in attack mode
• Wall tosses perfect over-the-shoulder pass
• Kiss cam goes wrong

Series at a glance

Game 1: Wizards 104, Hawks 98 (Wizards lead 1-0)
Game 2: Hawks 106, Wizards 90 (Series tied 1-1)
Game 3: Wizards 103, Hawks 101 (Wizards lead 2-1)
Game 4: Hawks 106, Wizards 101 (Series tied 2-2)
Game 5: Hawks 82, Wizards 81 (Hawks lead 3-2)
Game 6: Friday, May 15, 7 p.m. ET
Game 7*: Monday, May 18, 8 p.m. ET

*If necessary

Washington D.C. summarized in one Glance

The Washington Capitals also lost on Wednesday, falling 2-1 at the hands of the New York Rangers in overtime of Game 7.