Washington Wizards: 3 Adjustments To Make In Game 5

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:00 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

Fansided, Jerran Anderson/FanSided via Hoops Habit

Apr 19, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) reacts on the court against the Atlanta Hawks in game two of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Wizards return home for a crucial Game 5 against the Atlanta Hawks. Here are three keys.

The Washington Wizards lost two straight road games after jumping out to a 2-0 lead over the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. The Hawks beat the Wizards 111-101 Monday night, evening the first-round series at 2-2.

The Wizards haven't looked the same since traveling to Atlanta for Games 3 and 4 of the series. Point guard Jose Calderon and shooting guard Kent Bazemore combined for 26 of the Hawks' 32 bench points in Game 4.

As a team, the Wizards are scoring 99.5 points per game and shooting 42.0 percent from the field in the past two contests. At home, they averaged 111.5 points and shot 45.2 percent from the floor. Overall, they're shooting an abysmal 29.7 percent from three this series.

Defensively, they haven't been the same team either since traveling to the Hawks' place. While they averaged 9.0 steals and 9.5 blocks per game at home in the first two contests, they have averaged 6.5 steals and 4.5 blocks per game on the road.

Game 5 Wednesday night will be a critical game for the Washington Wizards as they look to get past the Hawks. Gone is the back-and-forth, gone is the trash talk. Now it's time for the Wizards to put up or they'll be sent home packing earlier than usual.

Here are three adjustments the Wizards need to make to get back in the win column.

Apr 22, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Wizards forward Markieff Morris (5, center), guard Bradley Beal (3, center) and guard John Wall (2, third from right) react on the bench in the third quarter of their game against the Atlanta Hawks of game three of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 116-98. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

3. Get Back To Team Play, Fewer Turnovers

The Washington Wizards are averaging 25.0 assists in their two victories this series so far. In their past two losses, they are averaging 17.5 assists per game.

In the same span, the Wizards are averaging 11.5 turnovers per game at home and 15.5 turnovers on the road. Much like the regular season, Washington is still a different team at home than it is on the road.

When the ball is moving and starters are playing well, things go well for the Wizards. However, they need to get back to playing as a team with less isolation basketball.

The Wizards have less than 20 assists in their two losses in the series. Point guard John Wall had 22 points, 10 assists and five rebounds, but also six of the Washington Wizards' 14 total turnovers.

In Game 3, the Hawks scored 38 points and shot 65.2 percent from the floor as a team in the first quarter. They never looked back after jumping out to an early lead. Atlanta had 60 points in the paint in the game.

Marcin Gortat had just one shot attempt in that game, playing 12 minutes. He had just two points despite playing more than 35 minutes in Game 4. Gortat grabbed 18 rebounds (four offensive) but he only got four shot attempts.

Getting the frontcourt going is key to getting a Game 5 victory.

Apr 24, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat (13) reacts to a call against the Atlanta Hawks in the third quarter in game four of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

2. The Wizards Need to Match Atlanta's Frontcourt Play

In Game 1, power forward Markieff Morris had a coming-out party. He went 8-of-19 from the floor with 21 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and two three-pointers. In Game 2, Morris took just three shots despite a Washington victory.

However, in the past two games, Morris is 7-of-21 from the floor.

Morris shot 3-for-10 in the Wizards' loss Monday night and finished the game with five fouls.

The same can be said for center Marcin Gortat. Gortat put up double-doubles in the Wizards first two victories of the series, but since then, he's been almost nonexistent on the offensive end. Gortat shot just 1-for-4 in the Wizards' loss Monday night.

He also finished the game with five fouls.

With Paul Millsap and Dwight Howard being the focal point on the inside for the Hawks, it's critical that the Wizards get Gortat and Morris back to being involved in the offense.

Millsap is averaging 24.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists in the last two games. Howard is averaging 10.5 points and 13.0 rebounds in the last two games. If the Wizards want a chance, they'll need to utilize their bigs on the interior and challenge the Hawks defensively.

Atlanta outscored Washington 41-16 in the paint in Game 4.

Apr 19, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) reacts on the court against the Atlanta Hawks in game two of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

1. The Wizards Need To Play More Efficiently

During the regular season, the Washington Wizards shot 37.5 percent from three-point land, eighth in the NBA. Things have changed drastically since the start of the NBA Playoffs, as they are shooting 29.7 percent from three.

Their three-point shooting starts and stops with sharpshooter Bradley Beal. Beal worked his way out of his shooting slump in Game 4, shooting 11-for-23 from the floor, including 5-of-14 from three, to finish with 32 points, but the final result was still a loss.

The Wizards have gotten away with not shooting the three-pointer well to start the playoffs. But with Beal, Otto Porter, Bojan Bogdanovic, Jason Smith and Kelly Oubre Jr.  on this roster, they need to readjust their strategy to get them wide open looks.

To get a victory in Game 5, they'll need to be more methodical on offense in terms of spacing and efficiency. The Wizards have the advantage with their starting lineup, now they just need to utilize it at a more efficient rate.

More from Hoops Habit

This article originally appeared on

share

in this topic

National Basketball Association

Washington Wizards