Hawks-Wizards Game 5 Sets Record as Most Watched in Atlanta History

The Wednesday night Game 5 win by the Atlanta Hawks against the Washington Wizards was by far the most watched match in the history of the Atlanta team.

AJC detailed that the Eastern Conference semifinals game, where the Hawks bagged an impressing 82-81 win versus the Wizards, had an 11.0 rating in Atlanta on TNT. The same report added that the television ratings for the post season games this year are up by 67 percent compared to last season where they lost in the first round to the Indiana Pacers.

"Through 11 games, the average rating locally is 7.2. Ratings for the second-round series against the Wizards are up 23 percent over the first-round series against the Nets," added AJC.

Game 5 proved to be a very crucial game for the Hawks as Yahoo Sports said that Al Horford gave his team the much needed help to rally past the Wizards with his layup on the last second of the game.

When the score was tied at 78, Horford reportedly missed a 21-footer which could have pushed the team to lead the game. Wizards star John Wall, who just came back after a left hand fracture, was determined to take home a win for his team with his aggressive offense and defense during the entire game.

"I wasn't supposed to be involved in the play at all. When I saw the ball go up, I just ran in there," Horford said in an ESPN report.

It was also noted that Paul Pierce did not give the vital assistance for his team as "he got open in the corner and swished a 3-pointer with 8.3 seconds left, putting the Wizards up 81-80," as per ESPN.

Hawks point guard Dennis Schroder made a run for a fourth quarter rally which ended in favor of his team.

Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer praised Horford's performance saying it was "a heck of a play" especially with his game-winning shot.

Meanwhile, the Wizards were devastated with the results but coach Randy Wittman said that they will continue battling it out for the next game where they will host the Hawks. Hopefully, the home court advantage will be on their favor.

"Hey, these guys are fighting. I love it. They made one more play than us," Wittman said in the ESPN report.

Wall's return to the team was the talk of the town since he gave a really impressive performance despite fracturing several bones in his left hand during the beginning of the series and missing the next three games. He definitely proved that his presence in the team can make a great difference.

Game 6 will be on Friday in Washington where both teams will again give their best shot to advance to the next rounds with the Hawks leading the series 3-2.