Atlanta Hawks Playoff Preview: Round One vs. Washington Wizards

Season Series

It’s difficult to take away much from the season series. Their first meeting came on opening night. That was all the way back on Oct. 27, with Atlanta winning 114-99. Both teams have changed dramatically since then.

Their second game came a week later on Nov. 4. That time Washington won 95-92. Again, these are not the same two teams that played back in November. Things have changed.

Game number three was played on Jan. 27. That’s the only game this season they have played with lineups closely resembling what they’ll have to work with in this series. Washington won that game in a blowout 112-86.

The Wizards shot 48.3 percent from field and 13-for-31 from outside. Otto Porter Jr. led the way with 21 points. John Wall added points 19 points, Bradley Beal dropped 15 points, and Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortat each had 15 points.

It was a balanced effort that showed just how good Washington’s starting five can be when they all contribute offensively. The Hawks shot 36.1 percent from the field and 29 percent from three. It was a performance indicative of many Hawks games this season; their offense just didn’t show up.

Dennis Schroder shot 3-for-11. Paul Millsap shot 1-for-7. Tim Hardaway Jr. shot 4-for-11. The Hawks aren’t going to win many games when those guys don’t make shots.

Their fourth meeting this season came on March 22nd. The Hawks were without Paul Millsap, but still led at halftime. The Wizards outscored Atlanta by ten points in the second half to secure the 104-100 victory. Beal and Wall combined to score 50 points.

There you have it. Washington took the season series 3-1, but it’s difficult to know whether or not that actually means anything. Two of those games came in the first week of the season, one was a blowout early that led to limited minutes played by Atlanta’s key players, and the final game came without a healthy and active Paul Millsap.

The only thing we know is that we know nothing.