The second game of four slated for NBA playoff match for Saturday had the Washington Wizards traveling to the ATL to play the Hawks in a must win game three for the Hawks. The Hawks were down 0-2 before the game and needed to find some offense to counter the dominant backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal.
The Hawks found their shot, jumping on the wizards early and not letting up, beating the Wizards 116-98. The Wizards still lead the series 2-1. But the Hawks got the confidence they needed heading into game four.
Hot Start
The Hawks jumped out to a great start against the Wizards.
They moved the ball well and made some critical threes that gave them an 18-point lead at the end of the first quarter. The hot start didn't stop there as they kept the shots coming in the second quarter and went into halftime with a 64-46 lead. Dennis Schroder and TJ Hardaway got it going early for the Hawks, both making great plays shooting the ball or giving up the rock for a great shot for a teammate.
The Wizards couldn't get it going early, trailing by as much as 25 points in the first quarter. John Wall tried to keep the team in the game, but the team play of the Hawks was too much for the Wizards in the first half. Wall had 21 in the first half while the other four starters combined for 18 points in the first half.
Once the Hawks got the lead to double digits, the game was already over.
Two Kinds of Offenses
The shooting for both teams were two different stories for the game. The Hawks shot better from the field, shooting 49 percent compared to 41 percent by the Wizards. They also shot much better from three, shooting 36 percent from three while the Wizards shot an awful 24 percent from beyond the arc.
The Hawks can credit their hot start for the great shooting percentages because at one point in the game they were shooting 69 percent from the field. The Wizards struggled early, specifically Bradley Beal who shot 6-20 and finished with 12 points.
To add to the shooting, the Hawks took care of the ball better than the Wizards.
Atlanta had four fewer5 turnovers than the Wizards. Along with that, The Hawks had 12 more free throw attempts and tallied ten more assists than the Wizards. Overall it was an offensive clinic for the Hawks, while the Wizards offense sputtered from the gate and couldn't find a rhythm.
The Hawks managed to grab one at home, as it would've been terrible if the fell in the dreadful 0-3 hole against a powerful Wizards team. They might want to keep this offense going, as the Wizards had no answer for it in game three.
Dwight Howard didn't get the ball a lot, and he might have an issue with that, only taking 15 shots over three games. The Wizards will need to find some answers, as they don't want this series to fall out of their grasp. Game four is on Monday at 8 p.m. EST on TNT.
