Hawks on even ground
Wizards’ Wall sits with hand injury
Atlanta — Demarre Carroll scored 22 points, Kyle Korver bounced back from a miserable first half and the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks held off the Washington Wizards, 106-90, on Tuesday night, taking advantage of John Wall’s absence to even the Eastern Conference semifinals at one game apiece.
Wall, who finished the series opener with an injured left hand, was a surprising scratch just before Game 2, shortly after the Wizards insisted he would play. Ramon Sessions did an admirable job filling in, leading his team with 21 points, but Washington lost for the first time in these playoffs.
Korver went 1 for 7 from the three-point line in the first half but kept firing away. He made 3 three-pointers after the break, including one from the corner with just under 3 minutes remaining that gave the Hawks a 98-88 lead after Washington had hit consecutive jumpers.
Game 3 is Saturday at Washington.
Washington had won its first five playoff games, sweeping Toronto before shocking the Hawks, 104-98, to start the second round.
Even without Wall, the Wizards were competitive in this one until the closing minutes. Paul Pierce hit a three-pointer and Bradley Beal knocked down another long-range jumper with his foot on the stripe, cutting Atlanta’s lead to 95-88.
But the Hawks closed the game on an 11-2 run, finally putting Washington away.
For Carroll, it was his sixth straight game with at least 20 points, giving Atlanta another much-needed offensive lift from its defensive stopper. Al Horford and Paul Millsap had 18 points apiece, with Millsap grabbing 11 rebounds. Korver finished with 12 points — all from beyond the arc — and reserve Kent Bazemore added 10 points.
Beal, playing on a sprained right ankle, had 20 points and seven assists while Pierce and Otto Porter had 15 points each.
Following the pattern of Game 1, the Hawks built an early double-digit lead but couldn’t put away the Wizards.
The Hawks had vowed to be more physical and attack the basket, but they settled mostly for jump shots. And unlike Game 1, when there were plenty of open looks, Washington clamped down defensively and made things a lot tougher on the perimeter.