Atlanta Hawks: 3 Takeaways From Game 5 Defeat

The Atlanta Hawks couldn’t complete a comeback attempt in Game 5 of its opening round series to the Washington Wizards Wednesday night.

The Atlanta Hawks were in prime position to snatch home-court advantage away from the Washington Wizards in the waning minutes of Game 5.

Washington forward Markieff Morris was whistled for a technical foul after being called for his fifth personal foul while wrestling with Paul Millsap for possession for a loose ball.

Dennis Schroder knocked down the free throw, converted a jumper from five feet out and found a streaking Taurean Prince for a transition dunk; the sequence trimmed a seven-point Wizards advantage down to two in a span of 28 seconds.

Only the Hawks weren’t able to slice into the lead any further.

Let’s examine five takeaways from Wednesday night, as Washington took a 3-2 series lead.

Road Woes Continue To Haunt Atlanta

The Atlanta Hawks have qualified for the postseason in 10 consecutive years, the longest streak of any team in the Eastern Conference.

Atlanta Hawks

While the team has plenty of playoff experience, success away from Phillips Arena has been fleeting.

Wednesday’s Game 5 loss, the third in Washington this series, marked the ninth road defeat the Hawks have suffered in the past 10 games.

Once again, Atlanta struggled finding its rhythm offensively, as it connected on 40.9 percent of its attempts from the field. During three road losses, the Hawks have shot a combined 41.6 percent, while converting 46.9 percent at home.

The Hawks took 93 shots, its highest total of the series, but resulted in just 99 points, their lowest total in five games.

The struggles of Atlanta weren’t limited to the field, as it made just 29 percent of its attempts from 3-point range and converted 66.7 percent of its free throws.

Dennis Schroder Rapidly Evolving Into A Star

Any issues of consistency from Atlanta Hawks point guard Dennis Schroder have vanished in the 2017 NBA playoffs.

The 23-year-old has been sensational all series, but managed to submit his finest effort of his 84 appearances in Game 5, as he piled up impressive figures while playing extremely efficient.

Schroder posted playoff career-highs with 29 points and 11 assists during his 38 minute stint. Not only was he able to match the highest point total of any Atlanta player in the series, he needed just 18 shots to accumulate the total.

As the only Hawks player to shoot above 50 percent while taking more than two shots in Game 5, Schroder connected on 10-of-18 from the field (55.5 percent), made 5-of-6 attempts from 3-point range (83.3 percent) and sank 4-of-5 free throws.

Schroder became first player in franchise history with 25 points and 10 assists in a playoff game since Pete Maravich in 1973.

During the regular season, Schroder posted 10 double-doubles and only one 20-point, 10-assist outing in 79 appearances.

Through five playoff contests, Schroder is averaging 24.4 points, 7.2 assists, 2.6 rebounds and a steal per game.

The figures are 6.5 points and 0.9 assists above his regular season totals.

Disparity At Shooting Guard Widening

The Atlanta Hawks hoped inserting Tim Hardaway Jr. into the starting lineup would alleviate the scoring disparity at the shooting guard position.

Wizards guard Bradley Beal posted 21 points per game in four regular season meetings and has emerged as the top scoring option for the Wizards against Atlanta.

More from Hoops Habit

Since the start of the playoffs, Beal has averaged 24.8 points and 2.2 steals per game, has converted 12 times from beyond the arc and has grabbed five rebounds in each of the past three games.

Beal had his most complete outing of the series Wednesday night, as he totaled a game-high 27 points to go along with five rebounds, three steals and three blocks.

He became the first Wizards player since 1984 to post 27 points, three steals and three blocks in a game, with his rejection of a Paul Millsap layup attempt in the fourth quarter sparking a fast break that extended Washington’s advantage to nine points with just under nine minutes remaining.

When the Hawks attempted to stage their late game comeback, Wizards coach Scott Brooks drew up a play for Beal and he delivered. A 20-foot jumper gave Washington a 100-96 advantage with 2:30 remaining.

In five games, Beal has scored 60 more points than Hardaway, holding a scoring advantage of 124-64 in the series.

Next: Latest Mock Draft--Point Guards Dominate Field

Only nine points separate the Hawks and Wizards following five games, making the contributions from Beal even more significant.