May 13, 2015
Ceci Ferrara
Sports Writer
Sports Insider
The Washington Wizards were unable to continue their postseason magic against Atlanta Monday night. Two days after Paul Pierce nailed a buzzer-beater to win Game 3, he took–and missed–a 3-point shot that would have tied the game with under 10 seconds left. Atlanta dominated most of Game 4, leading by 10 at half-time and controlling the ball in the second half. Washington was able to cut the deficit to four with two minutes left, but their rally fell short. The Hawks were able to hold them off for a 106-101 victory. Despite the loss, the Wizards got strong performances by Bradley Beal who put up a playoff high 34 points, while Pierce scored 22. John Wall missed his third straight game due to his wrist injury, and appears unlikely to return anytime soon. Though his presence is obviously missed on the team, they feel confident they will be able to advance without him. “It was a great opportunity for us to go up 3-1,” Beal said. “We won one game without John. We can do it again.” The best-of-seven series continues with Game 5 Wednesday night in Atlanta.
