Washington Wizards vs. Atlanta Hawks – 4/26/17 NBA Pick, Odds, and Prediction

Playoff series have a way of rewriting themselves based on the ebb and flow of the games.

But it was a playoff game. Atlanta would respond with runs to extend their lead. By the end, they never regained the lead and eventually allowed the deficit to balloon back to 10 with just under two minutes remaining in the game. They were also heavy on the glass, racking up 50 for the game.

This series has been a slugfest, and the Wizards losing game 3 was no big surprise.

If the Hawks were to win this game, it was extremely unlikely that they would be able to do it with backup point guard Jose Calderon playing in key stretches for 20 total minutes.

But it was the way that it went down, the game’s manner, that’s troubling. Only John Wall, basically, showed up. But, as impressive as the offense was, the defense might have been even better. The Louisiana Tech product has perfected shots with a high degree of difficulty, and it is one of the reasons why he is one of the NBA’s best. He even scored the Trail Blazers’ first 12 points of the second quarter after watching his team get pulverized.

The Hawks claimed the 35 year old off waivers and signed him for $250,000 as veteran insurance at point guard, what with youngsters Schroder and rookie Malcolm Delaney having handled those duties all season.

Squeezing critical minutes out of a player like Calderon earlier on, however, serves as proof that quality depth can be a game changer this time of year. They came apart in the way a good team does not. They didn’t stop the Hawks. Marcin Gortat had 18 rebounds.

The Wizards power forward failed to back up his bravado on the court. Yes, the Hawks still have to win in Washington to take the series, but these the Wizards really don’t appear to be anything special.

The Warriors advanced to the conference semifinals, where they’ll face the victor of the series between the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers, which is tied at 2.

“Yeah. That’s true, and now I have a story to tell my children someday about the man and the bear”, Millsap said later, before bursting into a smile that suggested he was inspired by Morris to do exactly what he did Monday night. That’s when Washington’s Markieff Morris wouldn’t shut up.

Uncontested shots were bit different.

The Raptors got off to a strong start, using a 17-0 first-quarter run to take a 26-11 lead. To note, people are likely still trying to dig into the contested shots statistic and its impact, but it seems more the norm for a team to shoot better on contested shots versus uncontested shots. Game 5 is Wednesday night in Washington. If it’s the Bucks, it’s the young up and coming team with Matthew Dellavedova returning to the Q and the team that made him an National Basketball Association player – and champion. Washington committed slightly more turnovers, but the difference was only two. Millsap has essentially had his way with Morris, and he will need to be stopped after leading Atlanta to victory in games three and four.

The Wizards avoided the dismal start that essentially ruined their hopes in Game 3 before the first quarter was done.

Damian Lillard scored 34 points for the Blazers, who were making their fourth straight appearance in the playoffs. The Hawks averaged 30.5 drives (sixth-most), scoring 18.9 points (ranked 13th).

Brooks said Morris has been out of rhythm because of foul trouble the last three games but added, “He’ll bounce back”. He knocked down a pair of three-pointers including one right before halftime that extended Atlanta’s lead to nine at the intermission.

The Warriors jumped out to a 14-0 lead at the start.