The first round series for the Atlanta Hawks with the Brooklyn Nets did not go as easily as many had predicted. The Hawks were pushed to the limit in every game of a competitive six game series win. In the series clincher on Friday night, Atlanta was finally able to pull away on Brooklyn’s home floor in a 111-87 victory.
The Hawks led by six at halftime and pulled away with a 41-21 third quarter to put the Nets away for good. All-Star F Paul Millsap scored 25 points to go along with nine rebounds and six assists in the win. Atlanta connected on 13 for 32 from behind the arc, including six made three pointers by sharpshooter Kyle Korver. During the regular season, Atlanta defeated Washington 3 out of 4 times with the only loss coming when the Hawks rested their starters.
The Wizards are coming off their impressive first round series sweep over the fourth seeded Toronto Raptors. In that series, Washington came out and stole both games on the road and never looked back. The Wizards have not played since last Sunday, when they closed the Raptors out with an impressive 125-94 home victory.
Washington was very successful in that series using veteran forwards Paul Pierce and Drew Gooden in a stretch four role. Playing small allowed the Wizards to shoot 44 percent from the three point line in the series and certainly is a strategy that they will continue to use against the Hawks.
The conference's top seeds started the game well, surging 11 points ahead by the end of the first quarter thanks to early shots from DeMarre Carroll and Al Horford. Washington started to cut Atlanta's lead at the start of the third quarter as John Wall found the basket, before a couple of Marcin Gortat free throws tied the scores, but a Kyle Korver three-pointer left the Hawks just in front going into the final spell.
The Wizards took the lead less than two minutes into the fourth though, and never fell behind again as Atlanta struggled with their shooting, taking almost five minutes to add their first points of the fourth.
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