NBA Playoffs: Atlanta Hawks Beat Washington Wizards, Tie Series 1-1

The Atlanta Hawks took full advantage of John Wall’s absence to beat the Washington Wizards 106-90 on Tuesday night at the Philips Arena to level the series 1-1. The action now moves to Washington for Game 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

John Wall missed Tuesday’s game after injuring his wrist in Game 1 of the series. The Wizards only decided not to play him at the last moment, hoping not to aggravate the injury further. Coach Randy Wittman had claimed that no one was missing for the Wizards 90 minutes before the game, claiming that it was up to the players and the doctors to decide how they’re feeling.

Yet when the inactive list for the game was released, Wall’s name was on it, surprising everyone. Ramon Sessions started in Wall’s absence and did as well as he could, pitching in with 21 points on eight of 14 shooting to go with three rebounds and four assists in 40 minutes of action.

The Wizards had shocked the Hawks in Game 1 at Atlanta, winning 104-98, but their unbeaten run this post-season came to an end as the No. 1 seed tied the series. Kyle Korver was poor in the first half, shooting only 1-7 but hit crucial 3’s towards the end of the game as the Hawks pulled away.

The Wizards were trailing 53-46 at half time but did tie things up for a short while at 71-all with just over two minutes left in the third quarter. But just as they had done throughout the match, the Hawks again pulled away for the win.

DeMarre Carroll pitched in with 22 points, six rebounds and four assists. Five Hawks players, including 4 starters, were in double digits as the Hawks again counted on team effort to come through a crucial game successfully. Both teams stuck to a tight nine man rotation for the game.

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