Paul Millsap said his team played basketball against Washington in Game 1 Sunday. The Wizards, he said, operated with MMA principles, a nod to the physicality the Wizards employed to finish off the Hawks at Verizon Center. It might sound like sour grapes everywhere but D.C. But if nothing else is clear after that first game, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports, the playoffs have officially begun for these teams:
The playoffs have begun.
Make no mistake.
In a physical game – with plenty of heated words exchanged – the Hawks took one punch from the Wizards. But not two.
The Wizards grabbed control of a game they led early with a strong third quarter. The result was a 114-107 victory over the Hawks in Game 1 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round playoff series Sunday afternoon at the Verizon Center.
Paul Millsap and Markieff Morris exchanged words. Dennis Schroder and John Wall exchanged words. Welcome to the NBA playoffs.
However, Millsap took issue with the physical nature in which the game was officiated. At one point, Morris dove on Millsap’s midsection as he was on the floor with a loose ball over his head. A jump ball was called.
“The difference in the game was we were playing basketball and they were playing MMA,” Millsap said of the difference in the game. “They were physical. When the game is like that we have to match their physicality. But again, we’ve got to go get some moves and bring them back to the court.”
The Wizards put up 38 third-quarter points, with John Wall scoring 15 of them. The Wizards had 17 field goals in the third quarter. They had 16 in the first half. The Wizards took an 83-76 lead into the fourth quarter despite leading by as many as 14 points in the period. The Wizards pushed their lead to as many as 15 points and held on for the series-opening win.
The Hawks closed to within five points, 108-103, with 2:04 remaining on a Taurean Prince corner 3-pointer. However, the Wizards scored the next four points from the free-throw line for enough separation.
“I thought they were more aggressive than us in the third quarter on both ends,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “Usually the aggressor is rewarded. We have to remember that and take that forward.”
