
ATLANTA — Al Horford wasn’t going to let the Truth hurt the Hawks again.
Horford, Atlanta’s All-Star forward, outmuscled several Washington Wizards for an offensive rebound and scored on a put-back with one second left to give the Hawks an 82-81 win Wednesday at Philips Arena.
The win gives Atlanta a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 6 is Friday in Washington. Game 7, if necessary, would played Monday in Atlanta.
In a back-and-forth thriller, Washington forward Paul Pierce hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 8.2 seconds to play. Nicknamed the Truth, Pierce already beat Atlanta with a last-second basket in Game 2 of the series and looked as if he did it again.
However, Horford flew in to follow a missed shot by backup point guard Dennis Schroder and hit a game-winner that will be talked about in Atlanta for a long time.
Horford finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks to help the Hawks spoil the return of Wizards point guard John Wall.
Wall, who missed the previous three games with an injured wrist, made a surprise return and played well. He scored 15 points and dished out seven assists in 37 minutes, though he also committed six turnovers.
Guard Bradley Beal had 23 points and seven rebounds for the Wizards, who absorbed their first loss of the postseason with Wall in the lineup.
The Wizards led 73-64 with 5:32 to play and appeared to be in complete control. Atlanta guard Kyle Korver didn’t hit a shot until late in the fourth quarter, but it was a big one. Korver’s deep 3-pointer trimmed the Hawks’ deficit to 73-69.
Horford followed Korver’s 3-pointer with one of his from the corner, cutting the margin to one and electrifying the crowd for the final four minutes.
Atlanta won despite turning the ball over 25 times and shooting 5-for-22 (22.7 percent) from the 3-point arc. Washington committed 19 turnovers and hit just four of 17 (23.5 percent) long-distance shots.
The Hawks led for much of the first half but went cold in the final five minutes of the second quarter. The Wizards took advantage, closing out the half with a 19-6 run. Washington led 47-41 at halftime.
NOTES: Approximately an hour before tipoff, the Wizards announced that PG John Wall was active and would start. He missed the last three games with five non-displaced fractures in his left wrist, his non-shooting hand. However, after a successful warmup without padding on the wrist, Wall was deemed ready to play. … Atlanta’s bench outscored Washington’s bench 18-9. F Otto Porter Jr. was the only Wizards reserve to score. … The Hawks are the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since the 1993-94 season. Atlanta has never reached the conference finals.