Hawks cruise past Wizards 116-98

WASHINGTON, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Paul Millsap had 29 points and Dennis Schroder scored 27 as the Atlanta Hawks beat the Washington Wizards 116-98 on Saturday, cutting the Wizards' lead to 2-1 in the opening-round playoff matchup.

The Hawks built a 25-point lead by late in the first quarter and never looked back. "They jumped on us in that first period," Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. "Their sense of urgency was very high. I wouldn't say we came out relaxed, but we came out missing shots, and we let that affect out defense."

John Wall scored 29 points, but the other Washington starters combined to score 30 points on 14-of-45 shooting. Beal had a terrible night as he was held to 12 points on 6-of-20 shooting, missing all six of his attempts beyond the arc. "That's probably the most I've ever seen him air-ball in one game," Wall said of Beal. "He'll figure it out."

Game 4 is Monday night in Atlanta.