Fansided

John Wall active for Wizards in Game 5

By Matt Verderame

May 3, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) winces in pain against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter in game one of the second round of the NBA Playoffs. at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
May 3, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) winces in pain against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter in game one of the second round of the NBA Playoffs. at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nobody can ever call Washington Wizards point guard John Wall soft. Wall, who has five broken bones in his left hand and wrist, is playing in Wednesday’s Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks at Phillips Arena, according to Michael Jenkins of CSN Washington.

Wall was injured at the end of Game 1 and has not been able to suit up over the last three games. Washington has kept the boat from sinking, however, winning Game 3 on a Paul Pierce buzzer-beater. The Wizards also kept Game 2 close and had a chance to send Game 4 into overtime after a late surge, but Pierce could not connect on an open 3-pointer.

With Wall in the lineup, the Wizards are getting a huge emotional and statistical boost. Wall is Washington’s best player by a longshot and comes into this contest averaging 17.6 points and 10 assists during the regular season. Wall only missed three games throughout the campaign before going down in Game 1 against Atlanta.

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    • Wall will be faced with the prospect of stopping Jeff Teague. Teague went off in Game 4 with Wall on the bench, scoring a game-high 26 points to lead the Hawks in an all-important victory. With Teague getting to the basket and knocking down outside shots, ample space is opened up for the interior presence of Paul Millsap and Al Horford. In Game 1, Teague scored 11 points in 34 minutes on 4-of-14 shooting.

    It will be interesting to see how many minutes Wizards head coach Randy Wittman allows Wall to log. If the game is tight, does Wall get some more minutes than Wittman originally plans to give him?

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