Wizards vs. Hawks: Game 2 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NBA Playoffs

The Atlanta Hawks have evened up the series at 1-1 after earning a 106-90 win over the Washington Wizards in Game 2.

Washington was forced to play the game without star point guard John Wall, who injured his wrist in the Game 1 win. Chris Palmer shed light on the All-Star's value so far in the playoffs:

"

John Wall won't play tonight. He's averaging 17.4 ppg, 12.6 apg, 4.6 rpg and 1.4 bpg in the postseason.

— Chris Palmer (@ChrisPalmerNBA) May 5, 2015"

As J. Michael of CSN Washington noted, Wall intended to play but couldn't make it through warm-ups:

Ramon Sessions was asked to step up in Wall's absence, and he came through with 21 points. Bradley Beal became more of a distributor as well, as his seven assists and 20 points were a big help offensively.

Paul Pierce also chipped in with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from three-point land, part of a 12-of-22 effort from beyond the arc for the Wizards. Still, this wasn't enough to overcome the Hawks' deep lineup of contributors, which had eight players total at least eight points.

DeMarre Carroll once again had a big game for Atlanta, finishing with 22 points, six rebounds and four assists. Josh Planos of The Washington Post broke down the surprising run for the wing:

Paul Millsap and Al Horford got back on track with 18 points each while dominating inside. With this kind of effort from the two bigs, the Wizards would have been hard-pressed to win even at full strength.

Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

Wall's absence was noticeable from the start, as the squad struggled to share the basketball, per Michael Lee of The Washington Post:

The Hawks didn't have this problem, expanding a 28-20 first-quarter lead to double digits in the second quarter. Inside Hoops pointed out the difference-maker:

While the Wizards couldn't pull even by halftime, going 6-of-11 from three-point range aided them in remaining close. Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated broke down Washington's play:

Atlanta still held the lead going into halftime, but the 53-46 margin could have been much more one-sided.

In the second half, it was Sessions who had a surprisingly good run to keep the Wizards competitive, as Bleacher Report noted:

Washington tied things up at 71 before the Hawks were able to take an 80-75 lead into the fourth quarter.

However, the fourth quarter was all about Atlanta, as the home team was finally able to make shots. The squad had built up a 12-point advantage by the time Marcin Gortat fouled out with just over four minutes remaining.

With the center struggling on both ends of the court and Nene providing little offensively, Atlanta was able to exploit matchups inside.

After a pair of deep shots by Pierce and Beal cut the deficit to seven, Kyle Korver stepped up to keep the Hawks in the driver's seat. Zach Harper of CBS Sports joked about the defensive strategy:

Korver's three was the dagger that allowed Atlanta to coast as it closed out the 16-point win to even the series.

Grantland's Zach Lowe gave his thoughts on Washington's struggles in the loss:

Still, a lot of credit has to go to the Hawks for their two-way efficiency and a wide variety of contributors.

Even after the loss in Game 1, the No. 1 seed was confident in its ability to knot the series. Millsap explained the team's mentality after the opening loss, per Michael:

"

Internally, we felt like we won the game. A few crucial mistakes. A few plays let them back in the game. [...]

Let me be specific, we feel good about it. Ten-point lead going into halftime. Come back out, took some good shots, missed some open shots. Wasn't as aggressive as we needed to be. We feel good about it.

"

With the latest triumph, the group showed it should remain a top contender in the Eastern Conference as it goes into Washington with momentum.

The two sides will get a bit of a break before returning to action Saturday for Game 3. Expect the Wizards to have the upper hand returning home to the Verizon Center, but anything is possible for the remainder of this competitive series. 

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.