Al Horford lifts Atlanta Hawks to victory

A late shot from Al Horford has given the Atlanta Hawks an 82-81 win in game five of their playoff series against the Washington Wizards, putting them 3-2 ahead.

The fifth meeting between these two sides in the Eastern Conference semi-final saw the lead change hands several times throughout the game.

The hosts made the stronger start, but Washington hit back through Bradley Beal and John Wall before half time to take a six-point lead going into the second quarter.

There was little to separate the teams heading into the fourth quarter, but Atlanta's shooting appeared to have deserted them as they tried to secure the win, leaving them stuck on 63 points for almost seven minutes in the final period.

Kyle Korver and DeMarre Carroll got the conference's top seeds back into the game in the final moments though, before Horford added the game-winning basket with just a second remaining.

The Hawks will have a chance to secure a place in the conference finals when the teams meet again on Friday.