The Washington Wizards have been counted out by critics due to a hand injury to John Wall. They built a 21 point lead but managed to fend off a furious rally by the Hawks' bench late in the fourth quarter.

The Hawks got on the board first early in the game with a dunk by DeMarre Carroll to go up 2-0 in the first couple of minutes. Paul Pierce immediately took the lead for Washington as they went up 4-3. They would go on to lead for the rest of the first half. Two buckets by Nene and Ramon Sessions put the Wizards up 11-4 as they went on a 11-4 run. Nene had 13 points and four rebounds in the first half. A Kyle Korver three-pointer soon cut the deficit to four for Atlanta at 11-7 with 6:00 left. A three pointer by Ramon Sessions helped Washington get out to a double digit lead at 24-14 with 2:32 left. They created a 9-0 run and led 28-18 at the end of the first quarter.

The lead was extended to 12 early in the second quarter for Washington at 30-18. Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague were able to generate two and-one plays but couldn't get stops on the other end of the floor. Millsap did not start the game due to flu-like symptoms. Pero Antic got the start but was ineffective as he was scoreless in the first half with two rebounds. A flagrant one call on Jeff Teague later helped Bradley Beal extend the Wizards' lead to 46-31. Otto Porter soon knocked down a three ball to give the Wizards their biggest lead at 18 points with 3:40 left. Washington was on a 9-0 run. Paul Millap got Atlanta within 14 points at 57-43 with 20 seconds left but trailed 56-43 at halftime. Nene led all Wizards' scorers with 13 points and DeMarre Carroll and 10 points for the Hawks.

The Wizards continued their momentum from the first half and managed to lead 78-61 late in the third quarter on a Otto Porter dunk. Porter had 19 points and seven rebounds off the bench. A Drew Gooden three made it a 83-65 score late in the period and Washington led 85-66 after three quarters.

The story of the fourth quarter was the effectiveness of the Hawks' bench. They have been notoriously known for giving up leads for Atlanta in the playoffs but stepped up today. Their bench staged a 17-0 run and it was all of a sudden a 96-93 Wizards lead with 2:30 left in the game as the entire Verizon Center was stunned. Two Dennis Schroder free throws made it a one point game at 99-98 with 23 seconds left. Mike Muscala soon knocked down a three pointer from the top of the key to tie the game at 101 as Washington blew a 21 point lead. The Wizards had the final possession of the game with 14 seconds left as the ball went to Paul Pierce and knocked down a fadeaway bank shot over Dennis Schroder. Washington won the game 103-101 and Paul Pierce continued to display his clutch gene.

The Wizards are still without starting point guard John Wall due to a hand injury. His status is unknown for the rest of the playoffs. Game 4 will take place in Washington D.C. as the Wizards are now up 2-1 on the #1 seeded Atlanta Hawks.

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About the author
Yuriy  Andriyashchuk
20 and from Atlanta. A die hard Atlanta sports fan(Hawks,Falcons, Braves). Also a University of Nevada-Las Vegas journalism major. Huge fan of southern rap/hip hop.