Wizards at Hawks
The Washington Wizards are in the Eastern Conference semifinals for the
second straight season for the first time since the late 1970s and now
look to stun the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks. The series opens on Sunday
afternoon when the fifth-seeded Wizards visit Atlanta, which set a
franchise record with 60 regular-season wins.
The Hawks advanced by defeating Brooklyn in a six-game series while Washington recorded a four-game sweep of Toronto and last played on April 26. Atlanta split the first four games against the Nets before winning the last two with power forward Paul Millsap contributing 25 points, nine rebounds and six assists in a convincing 111-87 Game 6 victory to end the series. Washington surprisingly sailed against the Raptors after going 0-3 against Toronto in the regular season. Wizards veteran forward Paul Pierce has been flapping his lips during the postseason but backed it up with his play against the Raptors by averaging 15.5 points and shooting 57.6 percent from the field.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, ABC
ABOUT THE WIZARDS: While backcourt stars John Wall and Bradley Beal fuel the squad, center Marcin Gortat was sensational during the first-round domination of Toronto. Gortat shot 74.4 percent from the field and averaged 17.3 points and 10 rebounds but trying to score against Atlanta’s Al Horford is a little tougher than against what the Raptors offer. Beal averaged a team-best 20.8 points in the first round while Wall contributed 17.3 points and 12.5 assists.
ABOUT THE HAWKS: Small forward DeMarre Carroll is on a roll with four consecutive 20-point efforts after a horrific 1-of-8 for two points showing in Game 2 against the Nets. Carroll shot 64 percent from the field over the past four games, including 12-of-19 from 3-point range. Millsap’s Game 6 performance was easily his best of the series and rose his playoff average to 15.7 points, while Horford averaged 14.3 points and 10 rebounds.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Hawks won three of the four regular-season meetings, including both games in Atlanta.
2. Wall averaged 21 points and 9.8 assists against the Hawks in the regular season.
3. Atlanta PG Jeff Teague was scoreless in Game 6 against Brooklyn after back-to-back 20-point outings.