Wizards Fall in ATL

Paul Pierce and the slumping Washington Wizards faced the wrong team at the wrong time on Wednesday night.

In the midst a midseason funk and on a three-game losing streak, the Wiz entered play Wednesday in need of a turnaround victory. But the schedule didn’t do them any favors, pitting them against one of the NBA’s hottest teams, and despite a hard fought battle with the Atlanta Hawks, Washington fell 105-96 on the road in Atlanta.

The Truth tallied four points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal in the Wizards effort to topple the red-hot Hawks. After losing for the first time in 20 games on Monday, Atlanta, the top team in the Eastern Conference, came out firing and built a 16-point lead in the second quarter.

Washington rallied to pull within five in the fourth, but D.C.’s comeback attempt at Philips Arena, came up short and Atlanta closed out their 20th win in their last 21 games. Afterward, Paul told reporters that the Wizards had things both good and bad they could learn from the loss, but he noted that to get back to their winning ways, their play must become more consistent, as it was earlier in the season.

“There were a lot of positive things that came out of this game, but at the end of the day, we’re trying to get a win right now,” The Truth said. “We haven’t been playing well, inconsistent basketball over the last few weeks, and we’re trying to get that back. The thing about it is we’ve just got to stay together, remain confident, and get through this slide. That’s all it is.”

The loss, Washington’s fourth in-a-row, marks the first time this season the Wizards have lost at least that many game consecutively, and all four have come against likely playoff-bound teams.

Though the Wizards attempted to come out of the gate aggressively. The inconsistent play that has plagued Washington emerged early.

Moments into the game,  No. 34 attempted to set the tone for his squad after grabbing a defensive rebound by making a bold outlet pass the length of the court. However, that attempt was picked off on a spectacular play by Hawks forward Paul Millsap. It was a sign of things to come on a night where things just didn’t quite click in time for the Wizards.

The teams played back and forth early and after Paul dished to Marcin Gortat for a jumper that tied the score at 13, John Wall knocked down a J of his own on the next Wizards possession to give Washington a two-point lead. That was, however, the last time the Wiz held the lead in the first half. Atlanta finished the quarter on a 16-3 run to establish control with a 29-18 advantage after one.

Much of that final stretch of the first came against D.C.’s second unit, which has has been particularly ineffective during the Wizards’ recent slump, and Wednesday night featured more of the same. The Hawks continued to pull away against a group of Wizards reserves and Bradley Beal in the second and had their lead up to 15 just over a minute into the quarter.

When Paul, Wall and Nene returned to the game, Washington was able to chip the deficit down to nine, and No. 34 helped the cause with a pair of free throws. But shortly after drawing a foul and sinking those shots, The Truth fell victim to the whistle late in the half when he picked up his second personal.

He spent the final 2:50 of the frame on the bench and Atlanta went on a run to establish a 59-46 halftime lead. Foul trouble plagued Paul the entire game and he finished with five fouls in 25 minutes, which limited his effectiveness down the stretch.

Washington came out of the break strong and The Truth helped the Wizards cut the 13-point halftime deficit to just three midway through the third quarter. But with 5:36 left in the fame, Paul picked up his third foul and had to be pulled to avoid potentially picking up his fourth.

Otto Porter Jr., who saw 20 minutes of action in part due to The Truth’s foul trouble stepped in and the Wizards maintained momentum for a short time after Paul went to the bench. Washington even briefly took a one-point lead on a pair of free throws from Wall with 1:17 left in the third. But the Hawks scored the final three points of the third, then carried that momentum into the fourth, where they embarked on a 13-5 run to open the frame with No. 34 on the bench, which broke the game wide open again.

“We got back in it in the third, we just couldn’t keep it up in the fourth,” Paul said. “When we’re playing our best, we’re a team that shuts down teams. We don’t give up as many points, we keep them under 100, and any time we keep a team under 100, the outcome is usually a win for us. And we haven’t been able to do that lately.”

When Paul relieved Porter midway through the fourth, the Wizards were again  down by 11. The Truth then keyed a quick 4-0 run, when he forced two stops and knocked down a tough turnaround jumper for his first field goal of the game, to pump some life back into Washington.

Then, a questionable foul was called on Paul as DeMarre Carroll launched a desperation three to beat the shot clock, earning the Hawks three free throws. No. 34 and the Wizards were livid, and head coach Randy Wittman earned himself a technical for complaining to referee Joey Crawford.

Ultimately, the Hawks could not be stopped offensively, and the Wizards looked out of sorts and exhausted trying to cover the dynamic Atlanta shooters. That sequence took Washington from down eight points to an 11-point deficit, re-energized the Atlanta crowd and further hindered Paul’s ability to play freely. The Wizards never got closer than eight again, and the Hawks rolled to the win.

NEXT UP

The Wizards look to snap their four-game losing streak in a difficult situation: on the second night of a back-to-back on the road as Paul and Co. head to Charlotte to take on the Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena on Thursday night.

The Hornets beat the Wizards 92-88 on Monday night in D.C., and Thursday’s game will be the second of four matchups with Charlotte this season. Paul had 11 points, three boards, an assist and a steal in the first meeting, but the Wizards looked sluggish through the surprising loss. Charlotte has not played since that meeting.

Tip-off in Charlotte is slated for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be shown locally on Comcast Sports Net.

RELATED LINKS

• Wizards fall to Hawks for third time this season (ESPN, February 4, 2015)
• Paul Pierce postgame interview (Monumental Network, February 4, 2015)
• Paul Pierce thinks Atlanta Hawks deserve more credit (The Washington Post, February 3, 2015)
• Pierce’s clutch tendencies showing up in stats (Bullets Forever, February 4, 2015)