Wizards 103, Hawks 99

Bradley Beal scored 27 points, and John Wall had 20 points and 14 assists as Washington regained control of its first-round playoff series with a victory over Atlanta.

Otto Porter scored 17 points and sank 9-of-10 free throws for the fourth-seeded Wizards, who lead the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series 3-2. Washington offset another poor shooting night from the threepoint arc (7-of-24) by making 22-of-27 free throws.

“I thought they were going to play the foul game – or at least try to trap. But they let us run the clock down,” Wall said, noting that he felt as if he and his teammates finished “with the best scrambling defense we had.”

Dennis Schroder had 29 points and 11 assists for the fifth-seeded Hawks. Paul Millsap finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds. As it is, the series has been filled with physical play, referee whistles and smack talk, including a “Crybaby” accusation and a comparison to MMA fighting.

Dwight Howard – who finally came to the fore in Game 4 with 16 points and 15 rebounds – didn’t play much in the second half, picking up his fourth foul with three minutes left in the third quarter and his fifth off the ball with eight minutes to go.

Washington’s Markieff Morris picked up No. 4 early third quarter and didn’t return until there were less than six minutes remaining in the fourth, where almost immediately he drew his fifth foul – plus a technical for arguing.

The series shifts to Atlanta for Game 6 on Friday. The Hawks won Game 3 and 4 at home by an average of 14 points. The home team has won every game in the series.

“It was right there,” Schroder said. “We’ve just got to be better in crunch time.”