The Atlanta Hawks entered Game 4 of their second-round playoff series against the Washington Wizards with an attitude that it was a must-win game for them. It worked as Atlanta regained some of their regular-season form in order to tie the series up 2-2 as things shift back down to Georgia. The Hawks are hoping to keep momentum in their favor as they get back onto home court while the Washington Wizards are holding out hope that the potential return of John Wall can spark things in the right direction for them.
According to Wall, he will test out his wrist injury during pre-game warmups as he remains a game-time decision for the Wizards. Wall originally injured his hand in Game 1 and was diagnosed with five non-displaced fractures in his non-shooting hand. As a result he has missed most of the series. The Wizards originally deemed him done for the series, but Wall thinks he might be able to place if he feels comfortable enough.
That could be bad news for Atlanta who were just starting to get into a rhythm. The Wizards are 5-0 with Wall on the court in the playoffs. While Atlanta continues to keep an eye on that situation, the team at least managed to get out of a shooting slump for one day. Jeff Teague was the star of Game 4 as the point guard put up 26 points in the win while going 9 of 20 from the field and 2 for 4 from long range. It was a huge step up from the 9.5 points and 26.1 shooting percentage he had been putting up in the previous four games. If Teague can keep the momentum up, the rest of the roster might follow.
That was the case on Monday. Paul Millsap returned to the starting lineup after having the flue in the previous game. He put up 19 points while Al Horford added 18 points and 10 rebounds. That type of play is what got the team and turned this into a best-of-three series. The Hawks are hopeful to take advantage of that first on home court where they have found all of their success.
The Wizards are just as good on the road as they are at home, already getting one win in Atlanta in this series. The team has been riding the resurgence of Paul Pierce who added 22 points on Monday, but missed a 3-point shot that could have tied the game. In Game 3 he hit the buzzer beater winner. Washington has proven they can win without Wall and will maintain that whether or not the point guard plays in Game 5.
