Wizards vs. Hawks: Game 5 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NBA Playoffs

Al Horford is the king of Atlanta.

Horford ripped down an offensive rebound and scored the game-winning basket in the Atlanta Hawks' heart-stopping 82-81 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night. Atlanta now leads the second-round series 3-2 and has all the momentum heading back to Washington for Game 6 after two consecutive victories.

Horford's basket capped a dramatic finishing stretch that saw three lead changes in the final 14 seconds. Paul Pierce drilled a three-pointer for the Wizards on the possession before Horford's shot to give Washington an 81-80 advantage, but Horford came through when it mattered most.

Here is a look at the game-winning play:

ESPN Stats & Info added a note about Horford when it comes to game-winners:

Horford led the way with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while DeMarre Carroll tallied a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Atlanta survived 23 turnovers and sloppy play throughout most of the game to pick up the critical win.

Bradley Beal spearheaded the Washington attack with 23 points, and John Wall returned from a broken hand to score 15 points and dish out seven assists.

Wall's return provided the Wizards with an emotional boost in the first half, and they seized a 47-41 lead through the first two quarters. Wall scored 11 points and dished out four assists in the first half, and he earned praise from ESPN's Skip Bayless in the process:

Here is a look at one of Wall's most impressive plays in the first half:

The ironic thing is Wall was concerned about possibly letting his team down before the game, per Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post. 

"I don't want to go out there and not be able to help these guys and these guys have been playing well and been in every game," Wall said. "So if I can't go out there and be confident and be myself, I don't want to take away from how well the team has been playing."

Wall picked up where he left off at the start of the second half and completed a ridiculous cross-court assist off of a loose ball:

Things got chippy early in the third quarter, and Pierce and Carroll received double technicals for jawing at each other. The tension seemed to rejuvenate the Hawks and their crowd, because Atlanta went on a run to cut a double-digit lead to four points five minutes into the third.

While the crowd was clearly frustrated with Pierce, Kyle Weidie of ESPN TrueHoop network pointed out there was also some understandable fear the veteran would use the crowd's reaction as motivation:

Washington maintained its lead in the face of Atlanta's spurt for most of the third quarter, largely because of Beal's impressive defense on Kyle Korver. Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com praised Beal's efforts, and Ben Standig of CSN Washington described just why Beal was so effective against the sharpshooter:

Atlanta finally took the lead with less than three minutes remaining in the third quarter, and Dan Devine of Yahoo pointed out that Jeff Teague was a major reason why: 

Atlanta took a 63-62 lead into the fourth quarter because it took better care of the ball late in the third. The Hawks turned the ball over five times in their first six possessions in the third but ended up with only eight total turnovers in the quarter.

Washington responded and took the lead early in the fourth quarter, and Beal spearheaded the offensive efforts. Michael Lee of the Washington Post noted that Beal played his way into impressive company in the process:

The issue for Atlanta was once again the turnovers, as Washington built a 71-63 lead in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter. Arnovitz commented on the sloppiness:

The Hawks didn't score a single field goal in the first half of the fourth quarter, and the Wizards gradually created separation. Mike Prada of SB Nation noted that Korver's presence would at least open up the floor for the offense:

Right on cue, Korver came in and drilled a deep three-pointer with less than five minutes remaining to cut the lead to 73-69. Incredibly, it was Atlanta's first field goal of the quarter, but Horford answered with another three on the next Hawks possession. Suddenly, it was 73-72 with just more than four minutes left.

Lee commented on the surprising stretch:

The Hawks then seized the lead behind impressive defense and offense from Horford. The big man swatted a Wall layup attempt on one end and drilled a mid-range jumper on the other, and Atlanta built a 78-73 lead with just more than two minutes remaining. Prada pointed out a critical defensive adjustment from the Hawks:

The Wizards answered with a 5-0 spurt of their own, though, to tie the game at 78 with less than a minute left. Washington had a chance to take the lead in the final 30 seconds, but Atlanta stripped Pierce, and Carroll scored in transition to push the lead to 80-78 with 14 seconds remaining.

Pierce responded like the clutch playoff performer he is and drilled a three-pointer in the corner with eight seconds left to give the Wizards an 81-80 lead. 

However, Horford got the last laugh with an offensive rebound and putback on Atlanta's final possession that gave the Hawks the 82-81 victory. Wall launched a desperation shot from half court at the buzzer, but it missed everything.

ESPN Stats & Info pointed out that it certainly wasn't business as usual for the Hawks, and NBA superstar Dirk Nowitzki even commented on the finish:

What's Next? 

Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images

Game 6 of this series is Friday back in Washington, and the Wizards must find a way to emotionally recover in time to save their season in front of their home fans.

Look for Washington to turn toward veteran Pierce for leadership early in the game as it attempts to move past Wednesday's devastating loss.

As for Atlanta, it now has a game to play with on the road, because it still has Game 7 in Atlanta as a parachute in case of a loss. However, anything can happen in decisive Game 7s, so the Hawks will likely want to avoid that scenario and win on the road.

That will also give them an opportunity to rest before an Eastern Conference Finals clash with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Chicago Bulls.