Hawks withstand flurry from Wizards, Beal to tie series at 2
Game 4 truly came down to the wire. But isn't that what these playoffs are all about?
The Atlanta Hawks may have won the battle, 106-101, but the Washington Wizards made them work hard for the sweet taste of victory. The Hawks had the Wizards chasing them for most of the game, but the John Wall-less squad managed to cut the gap to three points with nine seconds left thanks to a beautiful dunk by Nene Hilario.
Despite hustling, Washington just could not close the deal, with two clutch free throws from Paul Millsap serving as the nail in the Wizards' coffin Monday night. Paul Pierce, guarded by absolutely no one, lobbed a Hail Mary into the air in one last attempt to force an overtime, but his buzzer-beating luck had run out.
The series will now head back to Atlanta tied at 2, essentially a best-of-three with the Hawks owning home-court advantage.
Turning Point
With 9:08 left in the 3rd, the Wizards had cut Atlanta's 10-point lead down to just a single point. The Hawks responded with a 16-8 run over the next 5:51, shooting 7-of-12 overall and 2-of-3 on threes.
The story of the game was the Wizards continually trying to close the gap, but never fully succeeding, with that early-half run standing as perhaps the most painful.
Star Performer
Bradley Beal put his team on his back in Game 4.
No one on the court wanted a victory as much as Beal did, and it showed in all 44 minutes he touched the hardwood.
Game 4 was Beal's fourth game scoring 30 or more points, and first in the playoffs. The Wizards shooting guard led both teams in scoring with 34 points - a personal playoff high - and rounded out his stat line with six rebounds, seven assists and three steals. He battled to the bitter end, making a last-ditch effort to assert dominance with a vicious block on Dennis Schroeder's 6-foot jumper.
This is the third straight game that Beal has racked up seven or more assists for his team, tasked with extra responsibility in the offense because of John Wall's absence.
Highlight Reel
"Nah" - Al Horford
Jeff Teague? More like Jeff THREEgue.
- Paul Pierce flourishes early with a deep 3-pointer
- Nene's ice-cold slam draws the best reaction from John Wall
- Paul Millsap and his reverse and-1 layup for the win
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: Wednesday, May 13, TBD
Game 6*: Friday, May 15, TBD
Game 7*: Monday, May 18, 8 p.m. ET