The Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks did anything but put on a beautiful basketball game Sunday. There were a near-constant barrage of tipped passes, bad fouls and turnovers that made the first half more befitting of a mid-January matinee rather than a playoff opener.Luckily, the aesthetics don't matter when they get you one step closer to Round 2. Oh, and having John Wall also helps.Wall had a 32-point, 14-assist double-double and Marcus Morris added 21 points, as the Wizards overcame offensive hardships in the first half for a 114-107 win over Atlanta at the Verizon Center.The teams combined for 47 fouls and 31 turnovers in a game that seemed like neither side was ready for its 1 p.m. ET tip. Washington made just 33.3 percent of its shots in the first half, including a 2-of-13 rate from beyond the arc, as it went into halftime down three.ESPN Stats & Info highlighted the Wizards' reliance on Wall:As soon as the Wizards exited the locker room from the halftime break, Wall put the team on his back as part of a game-changing third quarter. Wall scored 15 of his 32 points in the third and added four assists, as the Wizards outscored Atlanta 38-28 to take a commanding lead. The Wizards shot 59.3 percent in the third quarter and 57.1 percent in the second half overall.Wall's second-half supernova led to a bevy of social media reaction:The 32 points marked by far a career best in the playoffs for Wall, who is in the midst of a next-level ascent. Wall should earn an All-NBA selection for the first time in his career in 2016-17, having set career highs in points (23.1) and assists (10.7) per game while pushing Washington to the No. 4 seed.Wall's ascent was paired with an excellent season from Bradley Beal, who finished Game 1 with 22 points. Beal, like most of his Wizards teammates, fared far better in the second half. After being held to seven points 3-of-10 shooting in the first half, Beal came through with 15 on 6-of-11 shooting in the second. The Wizards will expect him to be better than 2-of-11 from beyond the arc going forward.Marcin Gortat (14 points, 10 rebounds), Kelly Oubre Jr. (11 points) and Otto Porter (10 points, nine rebounds) were also in double figures for Washington. Oubre was the only Wizards bench player who made any discernible impact; he was responsible for all but four of their reserve points. Washington's pattern largely consisted of dominating with its starters in and trying not to blow its lead with bench units.Gortat was also spending his afternoon intimidating/dominating Paul Millsap on this Easter holiday:The Hawks were led by a 25-point, nine-assist effort by Dennis Schroder. Paul Millsap added 19 points and two rebounds, while Taurean Prince (14 points) and Kent Bazemore (12 points) were also in double figures. Atlanta, like Washington, shot much better in the second half (53.8 percent) versus the first (33.3 percent).Dwight Howard, playing in his first playoff game for his hometown Hawks, finished with a disappointing seven points and 14 rebounds.Every Hawks bench player other than Jose Calderon had a positive plus-minus, which is likely how Atlanta will have to stick in this series. Washington's most glaring weakness is its lack of playmakers off the bench, and while the Hawks bench isn't lighting the world on fire, it will have to take advantage of whatever small opportunities it has.Both teams have two days off before meeting again Wednesday night in Washington.
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