Wizards Defeat Hawks, 114-107

The Washington Wizards defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 114-107, in Game 1 of the
Eastern Conference playoffs first-round at Verizon Center on Sunday. Despite the
fact there were only two ties and two lead changes in total, this game was close
throughout. In fact, it was a single-digit margin for nearly 40 minutes, with
neither team leading by more than 15 points. It took a comeback for Washington
to pull out Game 1, as they rode a 38-28 third quarter to overcome a halftime
deficit. The assist-to-turnover ratio was the decisive statistic, with the
Wizards recording 28 assists to 12 turnovers, while the Hawks committed 21
turnovers to just 18 assists. The Hawks were one of the hottest teams in the
league headed into the playoffs, but playing in Washington is a different
animal. Dennis Schroder led the way for Atlanta, as he tallied 25 points, three
rebounds and nine assists. Paul Millsap finished with 19 points and two
rebounds. Dwight Howard scored just seven points, but brought down a game-high
14 rebounds. Kent Bazemore led the bench, providing 12 points, three rebounds
and three assists. The Wizards struggled near the end of the season, but they’re
clearly comfortable with playing at home. John Wall was the player of the game,
as he collected 32 points, four rebounds and 14 assists. Bradley Beal amassed 22
points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals. Markieff Morris
accumulated 21 points, seven rebounds, two assists and four blocks. Marcin
Gortat recorded a double-double, totaling 14 points and 10 rebounds. Game 2 will
be back in Washington on Wednesday.