They can’t guard me! Or, at least, they won’t. Not so long as I’m in my Big Panda disguise!
So, I’m pooped! No time to put together a fulll Game Thread ahead of the Atlanta Hawks’ payback game against the Washington Wizards (7:00 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast, CSN Mid-Atlantic). A few nuggets in lieu of the whole chicken:
Like a Philly cheesesteak, the Wiz is on a roll! They last won six-in-a-row early last season, in November/December 2014. That said, they’re still clawing for a final playoff spot, because both the Bulls and Pistons (1.5 games ahead) are feeling their oats as well, winners of three straight games and six of their last ten. Washington knows they cannot afford any more missteps, particularly at home. They've won 9 of their last 10 at the Verizon Center.
The Hawks are in a nice little logjam at 41-30, not the least of which is because the Hornets took care of business at home against the big, bad Spurs. A loss tonight drops the Hawks to 7-8 in-division, which won’t bode well for otherwise-meaningless division title contention with Miami (0.5 game ahead; 8-5 Southeast), Charlotte (now tied, along with Boston; 7-7 Southeast) and, for now, Washington (5.5 GB, 8-5 Southeast). San Antonio may give the Hawks a break by trying to extend their home winning streak tonight against the heat (41-29).
Atlanta’s also in a race with Boston to be the first among the East’s Top 7 with 20 Eastern Conference losses, although the Celts have five more in-conference wins under their belts. The Hawks still have the toughest schedule ahead in the East, and likely need a winning road record (18-17) to keep the postseason on lock.
The Wizards had the Hawks under a heat lamp on Monday at Philips Arena. Their 50.5 FG% was the best by any Hawks foe since their epic comeback in Houston back on December 29. That included a 13-for-25 shooting display for Washington beyond the arc, and 59 FG% in the middle quarters. The Zards are 24-5 when they hit the 48 FG% shooting mark, 16-3 when they bury half their shots.
Atlanta’s offense, to be fair, wasn’t too bad on Monday, keeping the outcome entertaining until the wheels came off late. Al Horford was sharp as a tack (14 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals), and could stand to use even more touches tonight to get Gortat off his game. As a team Atlanta hit 55.6 2FG% and nearly 40 percent on threes (13-for-28 until the fourth quarter), thanks in no small part to Tim Hardaway, Jr. (4-for-5 3FGs). But John Wall, Bradley Beal (12 third-quarter points), and Marcin Gortat (12 first-quarter points) were too much to keep up with, the modest pace being more to the Wizards’ liking.
After a rough start, Jeff Teague tried to keep up (23 points, 7-for-17 FGs, 6-for-9 in the middle quarters, 6-for-8 FTs) but it didn’t last for long. He and Dennis Schröder will hopefully be able to distribute more to starters Kyle Korver (1-for-2 3FGs, 19 minutes) and Kent Bazemore (0-for-4 3FGs, 21 minutes), who played sparingly. The latter seemed rattled after absorbing a hard offensive foul from Jared Dudley in the second quarter, and perhaps a day of recovery will serve him well.
The Hawks tipped their cap all night to the Wizards’ offensive onslaught. But tipping one’s cap doesn’t also require tipping one’s hand. Teague and Schröder persistently went under on screens for Wall (just three mid-range shots outside the paint/FT circle, seven FGs at the rim), who turned on the jets. Once in the paint, with Hawk defenders scrambling to help, there was a candy shop full of options available for Wall (27 points, 10-for-21 FGs, 14 assists).
If you’re Wall, you can await the cutters by Gortat and Markieff Morris, or swing the rock out to Beal (5-for-6 3FGs, 3 Wall-assisted), Morris (both Wall-assisted), or Otto Porter (both Wall-assisted). Or, stay behind the line and call your own number (Wall 3-for-5 3FGs).
The Hawks did not practice on Sunday (or on Tuesday, Ye Ole Recovery Day), and maybe their much-improved pick-and-roll defense got out of whack. But the guards must put in the work to fight over screens (particularly by Gortat, who several Hawks praised as the best in the biz postgame) and catch up with Wall. Otherwise, there’ll be Big Trouble in Little Chinatown tonight.
Let’s Go Hawks!
~lw3
