Beal, Wall lead Wizards past Hawks, 103-99

Back at home, and back in charge, Bradley Beal scored 27 points, and Wall added 20 points and 14 assists, leading Washington to a 103-99 victory in Game 5 on Wednesday night for a 3-2 series lead. The victor will be in great position to close out its Southeast Division rival in Game 6 in Atlanta, or possibly Game 7 back in Washington. Almost all of his defensive rebounds last night, for example, were uncontested, with no Hawks players in the immediate vicinity; by my count, all four of his offensive rebounds were of the volleyball variety, where he tipped the ball out toward a teammate on the perimeter, rather than actually securing the rebound himself. In crunch time, we gotta make those kind of plays. Calderon wasn't supposed to be with the Hawks. Calderon then signed with Atlanta and has been a valuable backup and occasional tutor for the mercurial Schroder. The intensity Morris showed in games one, and two wasn't there when the series traveled south to Atlanta. Bradley Beals is putting up 24.3 points per game, though he hasn't been incredibly efficient with almost 23 shots per contest.

The Washington Wizards have, in John Wall, the best player-by a mile!-in their playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks.

— In Game 1, Morris told Millsap to shut up, escalating a physical showdown between the bruising power forwards. Yes, Gortat grabbed 18 rebounds but he was scoreless on just four shots, and his man (Howard) ran roughshod over him. Paul Millsap scored 19 points in 6-for-15 shooting from the field and 6-for-8 free throws to lead Game 4. "Paul is very competitive, but he's very focused", Budenholzer said. The fourth-seeded Washington Wizards are in danger-big, bad danger!-of getting knocked out of the first round of the playoffs, and they desperately need the Extremely Broke Bozo's Bismack Biyombo to come rescue them. The starting forward was saddled with foul trouble for a third straight game after scoring 21 points in the opener. A win by the Wizards would put them one step closer to avenging their bitter 2015 second-round playoff loss to the Hawks-in Atlanta no less.

The Hawks seemed to realize it around the same time I did: In the first quarter of last Wednesday's Game 2, when a concerted effort to attack the hoop more aggressively than in Game 1 resulted in, by my estimation, roughly 10,000 layups and offensive rebounds and personal-foul calls on the Wizards. Boston missed its first eight 3-point attempts before making three in a row at the end of the first quarter.

Bazemore scored 16 points and doled out seven assists, while the 35-year-old Calderon, picked up on waivers late in the regular season, chipped in with 10 points and five assists.

The Wizards led 98-91 after Marcin Gortat's first field goal of the game with 5:00 left. Washington turned on the intensity midway through the first quarter, which effectively quieted the raucous Atlanta fans.

Five players are averaging at least 11.0 points per game for Atlanta in the postseason, they are: Millsap (23.5), Dennis Schroder (23.3), Taurean Prince (13.3), Tim Hardaway Jr.

After shooting 1 for 6 in the first, Antetokounmpo was a ideal 6 for 6 in the second, scoring 13 points to help the Bucks close the gap.

-Down 34-27, the Wizards got back in it with Howard and Millsap on the floor. Washington survived most of the year with its bench players underperforming. We used to shoot fall-away shots like that all the time. It's a matter of how we retaliate, and how we bounce back from it. Budenholzer was able to hold Schroder out until the start of the second half thanks to Calderon's game-saving contribution. "Get ready for the next game".

That basket was part of Atlanta cutting Washington's lead to just two points. He sustained a neck injury during Game 3, left early and did not return.

The Hawks left Washington trying to figure out how the Wizards had seized control of the series. Schroder entered Game 5 with just seven turnovers.