Wizards at Hawks
The Washington Wizards are thriving on the road and attempt to take 2-0
lead over the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks when the Eastern Conference
semifinals resume on Tuesday. Washington is 8-1 on the road over the
past two postseasons, including three consecutive such wins to begin the
2015 playoffs.
Not only did fifth-seeded Washington outplay Atlanta in the second half of Game 1, Wizards forward Paul Pierce resumed playing mind games with opposing players after the 104-98 victory. “You’re the hunted, you’re a 60-win team, the No. 1 team in the East,” Pierce told reporters in reference to the Hawks. “That’s what it is. The pressure is all on you now.” Atlanta scored 63 first-half points before collapsing in the second half and shooting a season-worst 25 percent from the field. “Mistakes everywhere,” power forward Paul Millsap told reporters. “Against a team like this in the second round of the playoffs, you’ve got to be at it for 48 minutes.”
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE WIZARDS: Shooting guard Bradley Beal tied his playoff high with 28 points in the opener despite tweaking an ankle and he is one of the several Washington players insisting this won’t be the club’s final series of the season. “We have a different approach. Last year, we were just happy to be in the playoffs and we were happy we moved on,” Beal told reporters. “We didn’t really have any high goals after the first round. This year we expect more out of ourselves. We expect to get past the second round.” Point guard John Wall is bothered by a wrist injury but didn’t show any limitations while producing 18 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds in the opener.
ABOUT THE HAWKS: Forward DeMarre Carroll isn’t a household name but he’s been Atlanta’s top player in the postseason. Carroll had 24 points in the series opener as he became the first Hawks’ player since Dominique Wilkins (1989) to score 20 or more points in five consecutive playoff games. The other four starters struggled as Millsap was 6-of-17 shooting, center Al Horford was 7-of-19, shooting guard Kyle Korver went 5-for-15 and point guard Jeff Teague was 4-of-14 as Atlanta finished at 37.8 percent from the field.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Wall has recorded four consecutive double-doubles and is averaging 17.4 points and 12.6 assists in the postseason.
2. Carroll made five 3-pointers in the opener and is 17-of-28 from beyond the arc during his five-game hot streak.
3. Wizards C Marcin Gortat is 31-of-42 from the field over the last four games.