Atlanta Hawks hosted the Washington Wizards on Friday night in a, what would turn out to be, their last game of the season. It was Game 6 of their exciting, back-and-forth first-round matchup. With Washington leading the series 3-2 they wanted to seal the deal on the road at Philips Arena and advance to the second round of Eastern Conference playoffs.
Atlanta, on the other hand, wanted to extend their season and force a Game 7 on the road. It was a crowded arena with 19,000 fans in the stands including NFL star Julio Jones and other celebrities that were sitting courtside.
Prior to this matchup, the Hawks had won six straight home games including the regular season.
Atlanta's late comeback not enough
Both teams opened up the game well as they traded baskets in the opening minutes of the first quarter. With the score tied at 10-10 midway through the first period, Washington went on a 16-6 run and took a 10-point lead (26-16). The score was 30-23 for the away team after the first 12 minutes of the game. The Wizards had a stellar second quarter as they outscored the Hawks 35-23 in that period.
They made 15 of 20 field goals while John Wall and Bradley Beal combined for 20 points in the second quarter. Washington held a 65-46 lead at halftime. Early in the third quarter, the Wizards had their biggest lead of the game (68-46) and midway through the third period, it was 78-59 for the away squad.
Hawks would rally and they managed to cut the deficit down to 7 points as it was 89-82 for Washington after three-quarters of playing time. The closest the Hawks would come was three points (100-97) before the Wizards went on a 15-2 run to close out the game and the series. The final score was 115-99 for Scott Brooks' squad that forced Atlanta into 22 turnovers.
Washington shot 54% from the floor and they were 10-for-24 from the three-point line.
John Wall with 42 points leads the Wizards
John Wall had quite a performance on Friday night. He finished the game with 42 points, eight assists, and four steals. He was efficient 16-for-25 from the field and he made 9 of his 10 free-throw attempts.
19 of Wall's playoff career-high 42 points came in the fourth quarter. He became just the third player in franchise history to score 42 points or more in a game. His backcourt partner Bradley Beal added 31 points and three rebounds. Wall and Beal combined for 73 points in the game and it was the most points Wall and Beal have ever combined for in a single game.
Paul Millsap led the Hawks in scoring in their last game of the season. He finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists. Dennis Schroder added 26 points and 10 assists for Atlanta.
Washington advances to the Eastern-Conference Semifinals and they will face the Boston Celtics. Game 1 of that series will be played on Sunday in Boston.
