A brief recap of the Hawks’ narrow escape:
How the game was won: Al Horford went for 23 points and 11 rebounds and his most important of each came at the right time, as he rebounded a Dennis Schroder miss and dumped the ball back in at the buzzer to push the Hawks up 3-2.
Atlanta was dreadful offensively at times, particularly over the first half of the fourth quarter, when they managed one point on their first 14 possessions while missing nine shots and turning the ball over four times (out of 23 overall).
Trailing 73-64, the Hawks went on a 10-run, the key shots being back-to-back 3-pointers by Kyle Korver (who made just 1-of-5 shots in the game), and Horford.
Horford’s jumper with 3:21 left gave Atlanta a 74-73 lead, but the game jockeyed from there right up until Paul Pierce hit a 3-pointer from the left corner — right in front of the Hawks’ bench — with 8.3 seconds left for an 81-80 Washington lead.
After a timeout, the ensuing play was designed for Schroder, and he did, only to have his shot contested by John Wall. Horford bumped Nene off to grab the rebound and score the winner.
DeMarre Carroll added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Turning point: As the Hawks dug themselves out of that nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter, they scored on six straight possessions (14 points).
Number: 1. Horford became the first player in franchise history to record at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks (he had five) in a playoff game.
Next: The Hawks and Wizards will meet in Washington Friday for Game 6.
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