Atlanta Hawks Must Learn to Finish Games to Get Out Of 3-2 Hole

The Atlanta Hawks dropped Game 5 to the Washington Wizards 103-99, and are in a 3-2 first-round series hole. In another game in which the Hawks had many chances to win, once again they did not execute well enough in the final minutes.

Dennis Schroder put the Hawks within two points after nailing a three-pointer with 1:10 left in the game. On the next possession, John Wall and Marcin Gortat ran a pick-and-roll.

In Games 1 and 2, John Wall shot an unprecedented amount of open shots off pick-and-rolls, but Atlanta played them well the majority of Game 5.

Tim Hardaway Jr. easily gets caught on Gortat’s screen, and spins to get over Gortat. Wall notices Hardaway’s  face is to the basket.

He dribbles to the other side of the screen, and Paul Millsap throws his hands up knowing the inevitable. Wall sinks the open jumper with Hardaway arriving late, stretching the Wizard’s lead to four.

After Markieff Morris grabbed a Millsap miss on the next possession, 37 seconds remained in the game. Still down four, Atlanta questionably allowed the Wizards to waste the entire 24 seconds off the shot clock.

More from Soaring Down South

• Start, Bench, Cut: Sorting through the Hawks’ power forward options
• Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic reacts to earning FIBA World Cup championship bid
• When does training camp start for the Atlanta Hawks?
• Grade the trade: Hawks deal Trae Young to Clippers in shocking proposal
• Dejounte Murray rips NBA 2K after Atlanta Hawks ratings reveal

After snagging a Gortat miss with nine seconds left, the Hawks inexplicably passed up multiple shots and wasted valuable seconds. The Hawks eventually threw a shot up, but the clock ran out after Gortat grabbed the rebound.

In each of the Wizards’ wins, the Hawks have either not matched the play of the Wizards, or been the cause of their own undoing during the final few minutes.

During the last four minutes of Game 2, Kent Bazemore turned the ball over twice and Hardaway rushed two shots. Bazemore and Hardaway made up their minds that they would either drive or pull up before they saw the defense.

The Wizards outscored the Hawks 13-7 in that same stretch. In the final two minutes of Game 5, the two teams scored only three apiece.

Atlanta has looked overwhelmed and unconfident too many times down the stretch this series. They must find some poise to win a close game in this series.

The Hawks handily won Games 3 and 4 in Atlanta, but Washington will give their best fight to avoid a winner-take-all matchup in a possible Game 7.

Jason Smith went down with a bruised left calf in the second half and is a game-time decision for Game 6. Ian Mahimi has been out all series to with a calf injury as well.

Smith has been the only big to come off the bench for the Wizards during the series. Atlanta may look for Dwight Howard to have a similar game to his Monday night performance.

Next: Schroder Can Be An Elite Point Guard

Howard posted a double-double of 15 points and 16 rebounds.