Washington Wizards: 3 Keys To Clinching First-Round Series

The Washington Wizards got back in the win column Wednesday night with a victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Here are three keys for them to clinch the series in Game 6.

The Washington Wizards pulled out a much-needed victory over the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday night, ending a two-game slump. In the 103-99 win, the Wizards showed a lot of poise, especially on the defensive end.

The Wizards earned eight steals and forced 11 turnovers. They held the Hawks to less than 100 points for the first time all series and it paid off for them in the end with a win.

Shooting guard Bradley Beal picked up where he left off in Game 4, scoring 27 points and registering five rebounds, three steals and three blocks in Game 5. He was, however, 1-of-9 from three-point land.

Beal was very active on the defensive end for Washington, who scored 20 fast-break points in the victory.

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Forwards Otto Porter and Bojan Bogdanovic had good games for the Washington Wizards as well. Porter had 17 points, making two three-pointers and going 9-for-10 from the free throw line.

Bogdanovic broke out his mini-slump to score 14 points, his highest total all series, and also grabbed six rebounds. He’s one player who could see big minutes in Game 6 after center Jason Smith left Game 5 early with a bruised left calf.

Washington is 7-0 when leading in a series 3-2. However, they haven’t beaten Atlanta in a playoff series since the 1979 NBA Playoffs, when they won the Eastern Conference semifinals 4-3, losing their only meeting since then in the second round in 2015.

Here are three keys for the Washington Wizards to clinch their first-round series over the Hawks.