NBA Playoffs 2015: Bradley Beal, John Wall Will Play In Game-2 Against Atlanta Hawks by Ben Mehic

That really just happened.

After climbing out of a double-digit deficit, the Washington Wizards shut down the Atlanta Hawks in the second half, eventually stunning them with an upset Game-1 victory.

Atlanta Hawks 98 Washington Wizards 104

The Atlanta Hawks couldn’t miss right out of the gate. With Paul Millsap at the four spot, Nene struggled to keep up and Washington looked a step slower than Atlanta.

Similar to their struggles against Atlanta during the regular season, Washington failed to close out on shooters and the Hawks’ bigs spaced the floor effectively. The Hawks gained a double-digit lead, and then of course, Randy Wittman finally started to play small-ball.

Nene wasn’t very good against the Toronto Raptors in the first round, but he’s virtually useless against the Hawks, especially when he’s sharing the court with Marcin Gortat.

I don’t expect Wittman to make a change to the starting lineup, but he needs to continue playing Otto Porter and Drew Gooden with the starters.

Atlanta is too good to not make the switch early in the game, so I’d expect the rotation change even sooner moving forward. Instead of playing Nene with Gortat, Wittman needs to consider playing Nene as the backup five.

Gooden and Porter in 1:31 = 8 points. — Jorge Castillo (@jorgeccastillo) May 3, 2015

Still, even with the switch, the Atlanta Hawks continued to drain shots from the outside.

DeMarre Carroll, in particular, was outstanding in the first half. He scored 21 points in the first two quarters, knocking down outside shot after outside shot. To make matters worse, John Wall went down with a wrist injury that looked pretty serious.

63-53, #Wizards trail #Hawks at half. Teague ankle injury but returned, Wall wrist injury but returned. Beal 15, Carroll 21. — George V. Panagakos (@DCWIZ) May 3, 2015

Thankfully, Wall returned to action and didn’t seem to be impacted by his injured wrist.

In the third quarter, Wall made a few consecutive mid-range jumpers and his shooters started to hit outside shots.

Otto Porter gave them a big lift on both ends of the floor, and he continued to make timely baskets. Bradley Beal was also fantastic, and even though he settled for way too many mid-range jumpers tonight, he carried Washington’s offense when they became stagnant.

The Hawks, including Carroll, started to miss the shots they made in the first half. They gave up a few transition baskets and Washington continued to get stops. Within minutes, the Washington Wizards tied the game up.

With spacing, the Washington Wizards actually have a solid NBA offense. Wall has room to create, allowing Marcin Gortat to get comfortable inside, and when the defense collapses, players like Gooden and Porter benefit.

Playoff Gooden is our favorite Gooden #DGIII https://t.co/sOfOSQz1K2 — Hoop District (@HoopDistrictDC) May 3, 2015

Seriously, though. This random Drew Gooden becoming a legitimate key player in the NBA Playoffs might be strangest thing in recent Washington Wizards history. Let’s not forget: Gooden was out of the NBA nearly two years ago. Without Nene’s injury in 2014, Gooden probably would’ve never signed another deal in the NBA. Now, he’s playing some of the best basketball of his career in D.C. He scored 12 points off the bench.

Right when the Washington Wizards took the lead, Bradley Beal rolled his ankle. We’ve unfortunately become used to seeing Beal bounce back from injuries, but this time, it looked serious.

Bradley Beal left the game after injuring his ankle … and he's in a lot of pain. http://t.co/B2D8uKLY5n pic.twitter.com/QyO72RAopz — SB Nation NBA (@SBNationNBA) May 3, 2015

Beal returned to action, but sat out of the final moments.

Despite his return, there’s still some reason to be concerned. He’s dealt with numerous leg/ankle injuries throughout his short NBA career. After the game, Wall said he expects Beal to play on Tuesday.

Beal helped carry Washington’s offense, finishing the game with 28 points, but luckily for Washington, Wall and Paul Pierce came through when they needed them most. Wall made a tough fade-away jumper from the right elbow and Pierce knocked down a free-throw line jumper.

Then Otto Porter hit a dagger from the corner-3.

Give me a big glass of Porter please. #OttoMatic https://t.co/A6j7W8SqqB — Hoop District (@HoopDistrictDC) May 3, 2015

John Wall finished the game with 18 points and 13 assists. Pierce added 19 points, while Otto Porter chipped in with 10 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.

This team is special. Regardless of what happens in the future, the Washington Wizards have shown a lot of confidence on the road. The experience they gained during last year’s playoffs has played a key part to their success this season. We’ve seen players like Ramon Sessions come in and give the Wizards legitimate contribution off the bench.

Like Wall said at the end of the game, it’s just one game. Let’s hope Wall and Beal are healthy and ready to go on Tuesday night.