Bullets Forever - Wizards Vs Hawks: Washington can't slow Atlanta's hot stream"Ain't No Luck"https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48097/BulletsForever-fv.png2012-12-07T21:58:19-05:00http://www.bulletsforever.com/rss/stream/35056752012-12-07T21:58:19-05:002012-12-07T21:58:19-05:00Wizards falter late in 104-95 loss
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<figcaption>Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>After a valiant comeback, the Wizards just couldn't keep up with Atlanta's quick guards as the team fell to 2 - 14 on the year.</p> <p>The Washington Wizards lost to the Atlanta Hawks, 104-95. Washington fell behind early, but a huge third quarter from Bradley Beal and some hot shooting from Kevin Seraphin eventually brought them back to within two points late in the game. Unfortunately, the team stopped converting on offense down the stretch, while the Hawks made a couple of lucky shots.</p>
<p>Three things decided this game: the Hawks guards' ability to get to the basket at will regardless of who Washington put on them, excellent performances from Seraphin and Beal, and Atlanta's sloppy ball handling in the second half. Unfortunately, the Hawks hit some lucky shots while the Wizards made some bad turnovers, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory to fall to 2-14 on the year.</p>
<p>Here are some game notes.</p>
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<li>Singleton blocks an early Horford dunk attempt. One reason he makes so much sense as a stretch four is that he has the length to protect the rim a bit. He's also been rebounding a bit better now that he's playing closer to the basket.</li>
<li>One of the nice things about Atlanta's offense is that they can have five guys - Teague, Harris, Stevenson, Smith, and Horford - initiate the offense, as they did for a while in the first quarter. I have a feeling they're one of the league's best teams in secondary break situations.</li>
<li>Singleton buries a couple of pick and pop long twos. This is a nice development.</li>
<li>Teague is getting to the basket at will tonight, and he's been the big difference so far. (23-15 in the first quarter).</li>
<li>31 - 19 at the end of the first quarter. Washington is getting outplayed in almost every way possible.</li>
<li>The Wizards are allowing a lot of second chance points when Seraphin is in.</li>
<li>Livingston has three fouls with 7:13 left in the second quarter, yet another testament to how badly the Hawks' guards are beating Washington off the dribble.</li>
<li>Crawford is looking aggressive as usual so far. He gets to the basket and makes a turnaround after going under the basket with about 6:40 left in the second.</li>
<li>Harris with a three to make it 47 - 33 with 3:58 left in the second. The Wizards just can't keep up with the Hawk guards.</li>
<li>The Wizards cut it to 8 after a Nene jumper. This has been largely a product of the Hawks' poor transition ball handling.</li>
<li>Beal with two free throws to make it a 6 points lead, 46 - 40, 1:04 left in the second quarter.</li>
<li>...and then DeShawn hits back to back threes to make it 51 - 42.</li>
<li>54 - 41 Atlanta at half time. Still no Vesely appearances, and Webster is - 17 in 15 minutes with a statline consisting solely of 0s save for 1 turnover.</li>
<li>An aggressive Beal racks up 7 quick points early on in the third quarter.</li>
<li>Martin's pair of threes whittle the Hawks' lead to 13, then Beal's layup on a backdoor cut from Nene with 2:18 left in the third quarter cuts it to 75 - 64.</li>
<li>I can't emphasize this enough: Washington can not handle quick guards right now. Lou Williams and Teague are both eating them alive.</li>
<li>A Beal three gives him 14 points in the third quarter and cuts the Hawks' lead to 9 to start the fourth.</li>
<li>Atlanta stops making shots and eventually Seraphin hook shot cuts their lead to 4.</li>
<li>For a guy not really known for his basketball IQ, Crawford is really crafty with the ball. He doesn't draw a lot of fouls, but he'can still get anywhere he wants on the floor.</li>
<li>Seraphin with two more makes cut it to a 2 poinit lead with 8:30 left in the fourth.</li>
<li>Seraphin gets a defensive rebound, then almost destroys Zaza Pachulia with a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPnRur76Dco">Bull Hammer</a>. Things are starting to get a little intense. The guy has been in beast mode all night.</li>
<li>Unfortunately, all those quick shots stop falling for him, though, and Atlanta slowly builds their lead back up to 6 with 2:38 left in the game.</li>
<li>The Hawks start getting lucky to close the game, as a Josh Smith long two is followed by an and-one as he makes it 102 - 91 Atlanta with 1:02 left.</li>
<li>A Teague steal and layup caps a 7 - 0 Hawks run to make it 104 - 91 with 1:10 left. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw6sZGZTaWs">Somebody call Dr. Gordon, because it is game over</a>.</li>
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https://www.bulletsforever.com/2012/12/7/3741986/washington-wizards-atlanta-hawks-recap-final-scoreThomas Pruitt2012-12-07T18:02:58-05:002012-12-07T18:02:58-05:00Discuss Hawks vs. Wizards here
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<figcaption>Kevin C. Cox</figcaption>
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<p>Discuss tonight's Hawks-Wizards game here</p> <table cellspacing="5" border="1" align="center" cellpadding="5"><tbody> <tr><th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver">2012/2013 NBA Regular Season</th></tr> <tr> <td width="240"><center><img src="http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/wizards_alt_logo_hand.gif" height="72" width="80"></center></td> <th align="center" width="20">@</th> <td width="240"><center><img src="http://www.lakelatimer.com/images/hawks_logo.jpg" height="72" width="80"></center></td> </tr> <tr><td align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver"><strong>December 7, 2012</strong></td></tr> <tr><td align="center" colspan="3"><strong>Phillips Arena</strong></td></tr> <tr><td align="center" colspan="3"><strong>7:30 p.m.</strong></td></tr> <tr><td align="center" colspan="3"><strong>CSN, 106.7 The Fan</strong></td></tr> <tr><th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver"><strong>Starting Lineups</strong></th></tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><span>A.J. Price</span></td> <th align="center" width="20">PG</th> <td width="240"><span>Jeff Teague</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><span>Bradley Beal</span></td> <th align="center" width="20">SG</th> <td width="240"><span>Devin Harris</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><span>Martell Webster</span></td> <th align="center" width="20">SF</th> <td width="240"><span>DeShawn Stevenson</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240">Chris Singleton</td> <th align="center" width="20">PF</th> <td width="240"><span>Josh Smith</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><span>Emeka Okafor</span></td> <th align="center" width="20">C</th> <td width="240"><p><span>Al Horford</span></p></td> </tr> <tr><th align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="silver"><strong>2012/13 Advanced Stats</strong></th></tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><span style="text-align: start;">90.6 (24th)</span></td> <th align="center" width="20">Pace</th> <td width="240">92.8 (8th)</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><span style="text-align: start;">97.1 (30th)</span></td> <th align="center" width="20">ORtg</th> <td width="240">103.8 (17th)</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" width="240"><span style="text-align: start;">105.1 (18th)</span></td> <th align="center" width="20">DRtg</th> <td width="240">100.8 (4th)</td> </tr> <tr><th height="20" bgcolor="silver" colspan="3">Also see: <a href="http://peachtreehoops.com/">Peachtree Hoops</a> | <a href="http://www.bulletsforever.com/2012/12/7/3741634/wizards-vs-hawks-preview-2012">StoryStream</a> | <a href="http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2012/12/7/3740486/on-the-road-with-sb-nation-peachtree-hoops-edition">On the Road with SBN</a> </th></tr> </tbody></table>
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<p>We'll see about the <a href="https://www.bulletsforever.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Wizards</a>' starting lineup. In the meantime, DeShawn Stevenson is in for <span>Kyle Korver</span> for Atlanta tonight.</p>
<p>GO WIZARDS!</p>
https://www.bulletsforever.com/2012/12/7/3741654/wizards-vs-hawks-game-time-tv-schedule-and-open-threadMike Prada2012-12-07T13:15:48-05:002012-12-07T13:15:48-05:00Previewing Wizards vs. Hawks
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<figcaption>Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Wizards get set to square off against Josh Smith, Al Horford and the 10-5 Atlanta Hawks.</p> <div>In case you hadn't heard, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bulletsforever.com/">Washington Wizards</a> upset the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hothothoops.com/">Miami Heat</a> very recently. Now they get to try for an encore tonight as they square off against their Southeastern Division rivals, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/">Atlanta Hawks</a>.</div>
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<b>Where, When, and What Channel? </b>The game will be played in Atlanta at 7:30 and can be viewed on Comcast SportsNet.</div>
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<b>Why Should I Care?</b> Aren't you just a little bit curious to see whether or not the Wizards can build some momentum following their win over the Heat? Besides, Atlanta's an interesting team that's been extremely successful this year in spite of the loss of "franchise player" <span>Joe Johnson</span>.</div>
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<b>Are They Good?</b> Yes. Quite good. Shockingly good, even. Going into this season, the consensus was that the Hawks would struggle without being able to run their offense through Johnson. Instead, the team is 10-5 with the league's <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/ATL/2013.html">fourth-best defensive rating</a> and a very competent offense that features a lot of drive-and-kick from <span>Jeff Teague</span> and the underrated <span>Lou Williams</span>, along with solid playmaking from <span>Al Horford</span> and <span>Josh Smith</span>.</div>
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<b>What Are They Bad At?</b> Despite the team's multiple playmakers, they're only 26th in the league in assists, something that's reflective of their lack of a pure point guard. The Hawks are also a very poor post-up team, ranking only 26th in the NBA in points per possessions on post ups, per MySynergySports. Unsurprisingly considering the team's size, the Hawks are also very bad at guarding post ups, which should give <span>Kevin Seraphin</span> an opportunity to build some more momentum after he practically destroyed the Heat.</div>
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<b>What Happened the Last Time the Wizards Played Them?</b> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bulletsforever.com/2012/11/21/3678558/martell-webster-wizards-vs-hawks">The Wizards lost, let's just leave it at that.</a>
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<b>Who's Injured?</b> <span>John Wall</span>, <span>Trevor Ariza</span>, and <span>Trevor Booker</span> are all out for the Wizards, while the Hawks' Kyle Korver is <a href="https://twitter.com/ajchawks/status/277082027080171521">out due to injury</a>.</div>
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<b>How Well Do the Wizards Match Up With Them?</b> Pretty poorly. The Hawks' offense is largely built around the team's quick guards being able to get to the basket, then pass the ball out to an open shooter (usually Horford, Korver, old friend <span>DeShawn Stevenson</span>, or <span>Anthony Morrow</span>), something that the 6'7'' <span>Shaun Livingston</span> and human traffic cone <span>A.J. Price</span> probably won't be able to stop. That said, Washington might be able to make up for some of this by posting up Livingston, as the Hawks don't have anyone in the backcourt (Stevenson rarely checks point guards these days) with the length to bother his jumper.</div>
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<b>How Has DeShawn Stevenson Been?</b> Awesome, especially from deep. It's been like it's the 2010 Finals all over again this year, as he's still playing great defense, hitting almost 42 percent of his threes, and still sporting some of the most awesomely horrible and horribly awesome tattoos in the league.</div>
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<div><b>What other Wizards-Hawks coverage is there to check out?</b></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px;"><a href="http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2012/12/7/3739412/wizards-vs-hawks-preview-game-time-tv-radio">Peachtree Hoops' game preview</a>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px;"><a href="http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2012/12/7/3740486/on-the-road-with-sb-nation-peachtree-hoops-edition">Monumental Sports' "On the Road with SB Nation" feature</a>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px;"><a href="http://hawksbasketblog.com/2012/12/07/scouting-the-opposition-washington-wizards/">Thomas talks to Hawks.com about the Wizards</a>.</span></li>
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https://www.bulletsforever.com/2012/12/7/3740184/washington-wizards-atlanta-hawks-preview-2012Thomas Pruitt