Hawks' Paul Millsap: We were playing basketball, Wizards were 'playing MMA'

WASHINGTON – Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap wasn’t a fan of the Washington Wizards’ physicality during Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Sunday.

“The difference in the game is we were playing basketball and they were playing MMA,” said Millsap, who finished with 19 points and just two rebounds in the 114-107 loss.

There were a few incidents during the game that likely led Millsap to liken Washington's physicality to mixed martial arts. One took place late in the first half, where Wizards’ Markieff Morris and Otto Porter jumped on Millsap, who was on the ground with the ball. Millsap argued for a foul, but a jump ball was called instead.

In the fourth quarter, Wizards center Marcin Gortat threw down a one-handed dunk over Millsap and pushed him out of the way. He was given a technical foul for taunting.

“They were physical,” Millsap said. “When the game’s like that, we’ve just got to match their physicality. But again, we’ve got to go get some (MMA) moves and bring them back to the court.”

The two teams meet for Game 2 on Wednesday.

"I've just got to be more aggressive," Millsap said. "I can't let nobody come out and just push me around. (Morris) was more physical than me tonight, and if that's how we're going to play, that's how we're going to play. I've got to do a better job at that."

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