ATLANTA — Shortly before tipoff, the Atlanta Hawks learned that John Wall wouldn’t be playing for the Washington Wizards in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
That should have made things a lot easier for top-seeded Atlanta, right?
Hardly.
Taken to the limit again, the Hawks finally pulled away for a 106-90 victory over the Wizards on Tuesday night that was much closer than the score indicated and evened the series at one game apiece.
DeMarre Carroll scored 22 points, Kyle Korver bounced back from a miserable first half, and Al Horford made some huge plays when the Hawks needed them most.
“We knew this was a game we had to win,” Carroll said. “It was kind of a funky game.”
Having already been stunned at home in Game 1, Atlanta seemingly caught a huge break when the Wizards announced just before the game that Wall wouldn’t play because of an injured left hand. Actually, though, it seemed to work in Washington’s favor.
The road team again played with plenty of confidence. The Hawks, it seemed, relaxed just a bit.
“It’s dangerous, man,” Atlanta’s Kent Bazemore said. “Oh, their best player is not playing, so they don’t have a chance. … But they still have a very dangerous team.”
Ramon Sessions did an admirable job filling in for Wall, leading the Wizards with 21 points.
It wasn’t enough to prevent Washington’s first loss of these playoffs.
“Just try to push the team, just like John does,” Sessions said. “It wasn’t just me. Everybody tried to step up.”
GRIZZLIES 97, WARRIORS 90
Mike Conley returned just eight days after having facial surgery to score 22 points, and the Memphis Grizzlies used a smothering defensive effort to beat the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, evening the Western Conference semifinals 1-1.
Wearing a clear mask to protect his swollen face and red left eye, Conley stole the spotlight from newly minted MVP Stephen Curry. He made his first four shots to get the Grizzlies going, and his teammates did the rest on defense.
Zach Randolph had 20 points and seven rebounds, and Marc Gasol and Courtney Lee scored 15 points each to help Memphis end Golden State’s 21-game home-winning streak. The Warriors dropped to 42-3 this season at rowdy Oracle Arena, losing for the first time at home in more than three months and for the first time this postseason.
Game 3 is Saturday in Memphis.