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Wizards finish off cold-shooting Bulls

Apr 30, 2014 - 7:09 AM Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - The Chicago Bulls never got over the hump, or over the shoulders of Nene and Marcin Gortat in the closing minutes.

John Wall had 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists and the Washington Wizards advanced in the playoffs for just the third time in 35 years following a 75-69 win over the Bulls in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.

Chicago trailed by nine going into the fourth, but clawed within 72-69 after D.J. Augustin sunk a pair of free throws with 2:18 left.

The Wizards, though, took the next 1:19 off the clock as a trio of backtaps by Gortat gave them extra possessions. Bradley Beal wound up turning the ball over to Chicago with 59.8 ticks to play.

Carlos Boozer was blocked by Gortat at the other end, but a Washington shot clock violation gave the ball back to the Bulls with 22.4 seconds remaining.

Jimmy Butler missed a left-handed layup for Chicago following a timeout and Andre Miller was off the mark on two free throws, but a backtap by Nene this time helped Washington regain possession.

Beal then split a pair of bonus shots, but another Nene offensive rebound with 10.9 seconds to play essentially sealed it as Wall proceeded to knock down two from the charity stripe.

Nene, who returned after serving his one-game suspension for grabbing the head of Butler in Game 3, tallied 20 points and seven rebounds. Beal added 17 points for Washington, which last advanced after defeating Chicago in six games of a first-round series in 2005.

"The main thing is to focus in and know what this team is capable of," Wall said.

The fifth-seeded Wizards will face either Indiana or Atlanta in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Kirk Hinrich and Butler netted 16 points apiece for the Bulls, who shot just 33.3 percent (25-of-75) from the floor. Joakim Noah snatched 18 rebounds.

"I am proud of the way we competed all year. We dealt with a lot. Whenever a season is over it is always tough," Noah said.

The game was tied 41-41 at the break, but the Wizards surged ahead in the third by capitalizing on Chicago's six turnovers in the frame.

They closed the quarter on a 16-6 run with four of those Bulls giveaways coming during the swing. Beal poured in eight points during the burst, which Wall finished off by splitting a pair from the foul line for a 61-52 cushion.

Chicago shot just 25 percent (4-of-16) in the third.

Earlier, Nene put in the final four points of a mini 6-0 Washington spurt, which staked it to a 15-10 advantage past the midway point of the opening frame. The Wizards, who led after the first quarter of every game in the set, settled for a 23-15 cushion after one.

Washington stretched the margin to 32-21 before Taj Gibson put in six points during a 14-2 Bulls surge during the middle stages of the second. He sunk two free throws to cap it and give Chicago a 35-34 edge.

Game Notes

The Wizards knocked off the New Jersey Nets 2-0 in a first-round set in 1982 ... Gibson rolled his left ankle in the fourth quarter and did not return ... Washington outrebounded Chicago, 49-43.