WASHINGTON (AP) — Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer is ready to move on.
Sure, his team blew a chance to grab the No. 3 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.
And, yes, the Hawks looked far from perfect in their regular-season finale.
So what? Now they have to prepare to host the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the postseason.
With a seemingly half-hearted showing against a bunch of backups, the Hawks lost 109-98 to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night and wound up seeded No. 4.
Atlanta finished 48-34 — the same record as the Miami Heat, who lost 98-88 at Boston but owned the tiebreaker over the Hawks and so earned the No. 3 seed. Because of Miami's loss, Atlanta would have moved up to No. 3 with a victory. Instead, the Hawks dropped their second game in a row.
"When you find out how that (Heat-Celtics) game went, I think it's natural to (think that) you could be the '3.' But I don't think it's something to dwell on or spend much time on," Budenholzer said. "I think it's time to kind of get ready for this weekend."
Atlanta did not hold a shootaround Wednesday morning, but otherwise did not take the day off completely, playing its usual lineup at the start of the game and for much of the fourth quarter.
But the Hawks made only 39.5 percent of their shots against Washington.
"I don't think the focus and the execution was as good as we need it to be to win tonight," Budenholzer said, "or to win in the (playoffs), so I think there's something to be taken from tonight."
Al Horford led the Hawks with 19 points, and Paul Millsap had 13 points and 11 rebounds.
"It wasn't our best game," Millsap conceded.
Ramon Sessions, one of four reserves who started for Washington, scored 22 points.
The Wizards already were eliminated from playoff contention last week and four of their regular starters sat out Wednesday: John Wall, Bradley Beal, Marcin Gortat and Markieff Morris.
Washington finished 41-41, 10th in the East after two straight trips to the second round of the playoffs. Now the big question surrounding the team is whether coach Randy Wittman will be brought back.
After the game, Wittman offered a defense of the job he's done.
"I love this job. I'm going to come to work until they tell me I can't. I'm proud of what we've done here. I took over 4 1/2 years ago, and this was a sideshow," Wittman said. "And we slowly changed the culture of this team. And we had a slip-up this year."
Wall and Beal held end-of-season news conferences shortly before tipoff, offering explanations for what Wall called "a wasted season."
Last season, the Wizards went 46-36 and were seeded fifth in the East for the playoffs. They knocked off the Toronto Raptors in the first round, then bowed out in six games against Atlanta after Wall broke bones in his left hand and wrist in Game 1.
After success using Paul Pierce as a stretch-4 during those playoffs, the Wizards tried to install a full-fledged pace-and-space system this season — although without Pierce, who left for the Los Angeles Clippers as a free agent. The strategy never fully worked. Washington's defensive play took a major step back this season, and injuries up and down the roster didn't help matters.
TIP-INS
Hawks: G Tim Hardaway Jr. left with a right hamstring injury. ... F Kent Bazemore scored only four points in 22 minutes. He clanged an alley-oop dunk attempt off the rim in the fourth quarter.
Wizards: The only starter who played for Washington was F Otto Porter, who wound up with five points. He exited in the third quarter with a left hamstring injury.
UP NEXT
Hawks: Game 1 of the playoffs against the Celtics, date and time to be determined.
Wizards: Season finished.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/4/387828/hawks-lose-to-wizards-backups-109-98-end-up-as-no-4-seed