Hawks hammer Wizards, 116-98: 3 takeaways from Game 3

The Atlanta Hawks took care of business by clobbering the Washington Wizards in Game 3 at home, 116-98. Here are the three biggest takeaways from the game.

Needing a big win on Saturday evening down 0-2 in the series, the Atlanta Hawks came out in a big way in Game 3, crushing the visiting Washington Wizards, 116-98. From essentially opening tip, Atlanta controlled the entire game. The Hawks took a commanding 38-20 in the first quarter and never looked back.

The Hawks had at times been able to keep pace with the Wizards during the first two games of the series in Washington. However, Washington point guard John Wall proved to be too much in the first two games of the series. He played well again on Saturday, but Washington was no match for the Hawks in Game 3.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from Atlanta’s 116-98 win over Washington in Game 3.

Takeaways

Atlanta frontcourt turned Polish Hammer and company into nails. While Washington center Marcin Gortat played well in the first two games of this series, the Polish Hammer and the rest of the Wizards frontcourt was pounded by the Atlanta big men relentlessly in Game 3.

The only Washington forward to be in double-digits scoring was Bojan Bogdanovic. Keep in mind that he comes off the bench and primarily plays out on the wing. Bogdanovic had 11 points. Gortat  had a miserable night with two points on 1-4 shooting and 8 rebounds. Forwards Otto Porter Jr. and Markieff Morris continue to be bad in this series, although Porter did have to leave the game with an injury.

Hawks center Dwight Howard didn’t score a lot of points (five), but his 11 rebounds helped set the tone for power forward Paul Millsap to go off. Millsap was the best player on the court this evening. The four-time All-Star had 29 points on 12-20 shooting, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks and a steal. Atlanta attacked the rim aggressively on Saturday and it paid off in a big Game 3 win at home.

You know John Wall could use somebody. Wall is a special player at point guard for the Wizards, but he could have used some help in Game 3. The only other Wizard that played decently was his backup point guard Brandon Jennings. When Wall was on the court, he had to carry a lethargic Wizards team exclusively.

Yes, Washington was in foul trouble all night. Poor Jason Smith fouled out in eight minutes. Kelly Oubre Jr. would also foul out and Morris had five fouls in the game. However, Wall’s backcourt buddy of Bradley Beal was a non-factor with 12 points on 6-of-20 shooting. In all honesty, Kent Bazemore and Tim Hardaway Jr. nearly outplayed him, so that’s all you really need to know.

With Wall’s Wizards being bullied in the frontcourt by Howard and company, having zero low-post presence from Gortat was too much of a burden for Wall to overcome. In short, Wall can take his team to new heights this spring, but at least one of his teammates needs to show up each night for that to even happen. Since Washington’s bench is embarrassingly thin, the rest of the Washington starting five let him down.

Taurean Prince has officially filled the DeMarre Carroll void. While some have clamored for the Hawks to blow it up at season’s end, we do know one guy that’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Atlanta has finally found its suitable replacement for DeMarre Carroll in rookie Taurean Prince. The Hawks traded starting point guard Jeff Teague in a three-team deal with the Indiana Pacers and the Utah Jazz to draft Prince No. 12 overall last June.

It’s still very early in his NBA career, but Prince has shown in the 2017 NBA Playoffs that he can not only start for a winning team, but can play a huge minutes in a playoff victory. Prince had 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting and 4 rebounds in Game 3. He plays with a certain physicality reminiscent of Carroll, but has the infinitely higher upside of the former fan favorite in Atlanta.

Next: NBA Playoffs 2017: 5 keys to Wizards vs. Hawks matchup

Game 4 between the Wizards and the Hawks will be in Atlanta on Monday, April 24 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Should Atlanta take Game 4 as well, Game 5 in Washington will be a massively important game in the series.