With John Wall absent for the third straight game, the Atlanta Hawks were able to tie the series in Washington and now head back home for Game 5.
Jeff Teague was the primary beneficiary, netting a team-high 26 points to go along with eight assists. A huge three pointer with just over one minute remaining in the fourth quarter ended up being the game-winner as the Hawks held on for a 104-101 victory. Paul Pierce again had a chance to call game, but missed what would have been a game-tying three with approximately seven seconds remaining. DeMarre Carroll fought through a screen and may have intimidated Pierce by diving towards his legs in what looked like a dirty move. Regardless, the shot rimmed out and the Washington Wizards were unable to take a 3-1 series lead.
Al Horford and Paul Millsap again had productive nights and continue to outperform Marcin Gortat and Nene. Horford had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Millsap scored 19 points on a couple of fancy moves, including an athletic reverse layup. Dennis Schroder was the final Hawk to reach double figures, dropping 14 points off the bench. He missed a late layup that allowed the Wizards to have a chance to tie with the final shot but, fortunately, it did not come back to cost the Hawks. Schroder also added eight assists and is part of a Hawks bench that completes a well-rounded lineup that pushed them to the top of the Eastern Conference.
Bradley Beal led the way for the Wizards and scored a game-high 34 points in the absence of John Wall. Beal was 11-for-25 from the field and shot 50 percent from three point range. The 21 year-old former Florida Gator also added seven assists and six rebounds. Beal (averaging 22.8 ppg in playoffs) continues to perform at a high level, as does Paul Pierce, who finished with 22 points. Nene, Ramon Sessions, and Will Bynum rounded out the five Wizards who scored double figures in Game 4.
Bench players have played a critical role in this series and unsung heroes for both the Wizards and Hawks may rise to the occasion as the series heats up. To begin the series, two such players were DeMarre Carroll of the Hawks and Otto Porter of the Wizards. After scoring in double figures in each of the first three games of the series, both Carroll and Porter were quieted in Game 4. Porter was held to four points, while Carroll netted a three pointer and two short-range buckets to bring his total to five for the night. Even though Carroll is in the Hawks' starting lineup, he has been one of the more surprising talents in the playoffs and the series. Still, each team has had at least one bench player to score double figures in each game except for Game 1 in which the Hawks got great contributions from each of their starters.
After hanging on for a victory in Game 4, Atlanta is in good shape to take control of the series back home for Game 5. In accordance to NBA history, the winner of Game 5 has a great probability of winning the series. The X-factor in the series will be John Wall, who's status for Game 5 is unknown. He will be the key if the Wizards hope to snag a win in Game 5 and regain control of the series.