Hawks vs. Wizards: Game 4 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NBA Playoffs

Welcome to your playoff moment, Jeff Teague.

The Atlanta Hawks point guard hit arguably the biggest shot of his career Monday in his team's 106-101 victory over the Washington Wizards in Game 4 of their second-round playoff series. Teague finished with 26 points, eight assists, four rebounds, two steals and a block, but it was his dagger of a three-pointer in the final two minutes that ultimately sealed the win.

Atlanta also received 18 points and 10 rebounds from Al Horford and 19 points from Paul Millsap.

ESPN Stats & Info pointed out how important the team approach was for the Hawks:

Even without John Wall, Washington's Bradley Beal did everything he could and finished with a playoff career-high 34 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals. Paul Pierce added 22 points of his own, but he missed a potential game-tying three-pointer with three seconds left.

The series is now tied at two games apiece and shifts back to Atlanta for a crucial Game 5.

The Hawks looked much more like the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference during the first half than they did in Game 3. Atlanta jumped out to an early lead and pushed it to 65-55 by halftime. The return of a healthy Millsap after he struggled with flu-like symptoms in Game 3 was key, and he scored 15 points and dished out six assists in the first 24 minutes.

The Atlanta Hawks passed along his most impressive play of the half:

For as great as Millsap was in the first half, he picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter during a Washington run that trimmed the lead to three. While that was concerning for the rest of the game, NBA analyst Nate Duncan pointed out another problem:

With Wall out again, Beal carried the Wizards during their third-quarter stretch. John Schuhmann of NBA.com noticed the effort level:

Washington also climbed back into the game because Pierce drilled his first five three-pointers, which sparked this observation from CBS Sports:

The Wizards controlled the early third quarter, but Atlanta responded and took an 85-75 lead into the fourth. Horford put the team on his back for multiple possessions in a row, and the NBA passed along one of his best finishes at the rim:

Ben Standig of CSN Washington pointed out that the Wizards simply didn't have an answer for Horford:

The Wizards also failed to counter Horford on the offensive side of the floor with their bigs, as Standig and Duncan pointed out:

Washington adjusted to its struggling big men and inserted Nene at the center spot to start the fourth quarter. The Wizards subsequently cut the lead to five with less than nine minutes remaining, and Mike Prada of SB Nation praised the move:

Atlanta seemed to come back after every Washington spurt, but Beal kept the Wizards in the game throughout the fourth quarter. Duncan explained part of the problem from Atlanta's perspective, and Standig praised Beal for his efforts:

ESPN Stats & Info put Beal's game into statistical context:

Even with Beal's brilliance, the Hawks led 101-94 with three minutes remaining in the game. From there, Washington cut the lead to four, but Teague hit the biggest shot of the game from behind the three-point line with less than two minutes left.

It took the air out of the building and virtually signaled to the fans that this series was headed back to Atlanta tied at 2-2. Matt Moore of CBSSports.com noted that Teague saved the Hawks from an otherwise lackluster possession:

"

Horrrrrrrrrrrrible possession, Teague makes it. I guess that’s the new #PlayoffTeague?

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) May 12, 2015"

While the shot felt like a dagger at the time, Washington responded and cut the lead to 104-101 with 10 seconds left. Pierce had a chance to tie the game with a clean look from downtown, but it just carried long and rolled off the back rim.

Atlanta fans finally got a chance to breathe two free throws later, and the Hawks won 106-101.

What's Next?

Ned Dishman/Getty Images

Game 5 in this series is Wednesday back in Atlanta.

Every postseason clash is important, but the fifth game in a series knotted at two takes on even more urgency. Whichever team wins will be a single victory away from a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals against either LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Chicago Bulls.

Atlanta was the best team in the Eastern Conference all season, and it needs to keep momentum as that top seed at home. For as well as the Wizards have played in this series, they are missing their leader in Wall. If the Hawks truly are the best team in the conference, they won't lose their most important game of the year at home against a depleted Washington squad.

Don't count the Wizards out, though, if they assume coach Randy Wittman's attitude, per Gene Wang of the Washington Post: "Hey, the farther this goes along, Game 3, Game 4, Game 5, whatever, next series, it’s going to get more physical, it’s going to get harder. You’ve got to play better...But that’s the nature of where we’re at, and we have to have that understanding. I think as long as we do that, we don’t lose our cool."

Whichever team wins Game 5 will be in the driver's seat on the path to the Eastern Conference Finals.