After leading the series 2-0, the Washington Wizards have found themselves between a rock and a hard place. They have lost games three and four back to back by ten points or more. The recent performances of Dwight Howard, Dennis Schroder and Tim Hardaway Jr. have left the Wizards defense questioning themselves. With the next game being played in front of their home crowd, will the Wizards be able to fight off the savage birds of Atlanta?
Big men doing big things
Things started to change for Atlanta in game three when their veteran Paul Milsap decided to take over.
Milsap finished the game with 29 points and 14 rebounds. In game four, Dwight Howard decided to step up to the plate and give it his best swing. Dwight finished the night with 16 points and 15 rebounds. When these big men get active on the boards and decide to score in the paint, their team has come out on top during this series.
The Washington Wizards have yet to have a center or forward put up more than 15 points when going against Atlanta's rim protectors. Without having the ability to score down low, Wall and Beal are forced to take outside shots, creating a disturbance in both of their games. While on fire, Milsap and Howard plan to lead the charge against the Wizards who have yet to find an answer for their surprising scoring burst.
Alone with Wall
Let's just make this clear, if John Wall and Bradley Beal do not receive help from their supporting cast, they will be eliminated quickly. The two combine for almost fifty points a night and they have yet to pull away with a satisfying victory over Atlanta. In game four Otto Porter Jr. and Bojan Bogdanovic were the next top scorers, bringing in 26 points combined (13 each).
Although that is an effort, it will not do the Wizards any justice. Dennis Schroder has the ability to drop close to 29 points by himself and he did that in game three. Just like we have seen in the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets series, one man will cannot win you a title. Even King James needs help occasionally from Kyrie Irving and other supporting players.
The Wizards will have to man up and play like their playoff chances depend on a win in game five Wednesday night at home because they do. If Atlanta captures game five they would be on three game winning streak and not to mention game six will take place in Atlanta Friday. It is quite simple, the Wizards must be able to call on a supporting cast or they will be eliminated from the 2016-2017 championship hunt.
