Wizards take 3-2 lead over Hawks in a series that will feel close until it's over

Both the Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks entered Wednesday’s Game 5 of their first-round NBA playoff series with the opportunity to create separation in a series that has looked capable of going in either direction. With the road team having yet to win but the Hawks taking both their home games by double-digits, the momentum was not clearly on one side. But this game had the potential to be a pivotal one.

It was in keeping with the rest of the series, then, that the Wizards’ 103-99 win did not seem to signal a real change in either team’s fortune despite their very meaningful 3-2 advantage. While the Hawks now face a potential elimination at home in Game 6 and are certainly in worse shape than the Wizards, very little has seemed to provide either team with a notable advantage. It’s a safe bet this series will feel close until it’s over.

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That feeling certainly applied to Game 5. Neither team won a quarter by more than three points, and the largest lead — 11 points, in favor of the Wizards, in the middle of the third quarter — was erased with an 11-0 run that turned a potential blowout into anyone’s game. The Wizards led by as many as nine points in the fourth quarter, but the Hawks drew to within two points with a big Dennis Schröder 3-pointer with 1:09 remaining and had several chances to pressure the hosts after John Wall answered with a mid-range jumper 22 seconds later.

It was perhaps appropriate to Game 5’s “your turn, my turn” flow that the remainder played out with no baskets, free throws or timeouts. There were no dramatic crunch-time plays or moments of intense emotion. Things just sort of ended because the rules said so.

That’s not to say nothing of consequence happened in the game. For instance, it’s a good sign for the Wizards that they were able to win without any players putting in performances that will be difficult to reproduce. John Wall was occasionally electric and finished with 20 points, 14 assists, and a highlight-reel dunk that momentarily woke up the early evening crowd at the Verizon Center. Bradley Beal added a team-high 27 points, Otto Porter managed 17 on all of four field-goal attempts, and Bojan Bogdanovic offered 14 off the bench. Outside of Porter’s points-per-shot ratio, every one of these numbers should travel.

The Hawks cannot be so certain of matching their own star turns in Game 5, but they arguably discovered something more valuable — a potential tactical advantage. Before detailing that point, though, it’s worth praising Schröder, who had his best game of an already impressive series with 29 points (5-of-6 3FG) and 11 assists in 38 minutes. Schröder is known for his inconsistency, and games like Wednesday’s have always been within his capabilities. But he’s been about as close to steady as he gets vs. the Wizards in these first five games and deserves notice for matching Wall for much of the series.

If Schröder’s been terrific, then Dwight Howard has been the opposite. The divisive center saw his career return to partial normalcy in his first season with his hometown team but is now something close to unplayable in this series. He hasn’t just failed to serve as a defensive anchor for the Hawks — he’s been a negative:

Howard’s offense hasn’t been present, either — he attempted just three shots in 28 minutes in Game 5. His lack of production inspired Mike Budenholzer to go small late, though, and the Hawks seemed to find something worthwhile with Paul Millsap as a de facto center and Schröder, Tim Hardaway Jr., Taurean Prince and Kent Bazemore alongside him. That lineup could show up more often in Friday’s Game 6.

However, going small could allow the Wizards to cover a potential gap. Reserve forward Jason Smith left Game 5 with a left calf contusion and was ruled out for the remainder. If he can’t go in Game 6, then the Wizards will be without a big man off the bench, an area that’s not exactly a strength as is.

Or maybe this series is bound to be decided by Wall, Beal, Schröder and Millsap. One dominant star performance could prove the difference.

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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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