WASHINGTON — The Atlanta Hawks advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time by beating the Washington Wizards, 94-91, on Friday night in Game 6 of their N.B.A. second-round series. The Hawks narrowly avoided overtime when Paul Pierce was late in releasing a 3-point attempt that would have tied the game as the clock expired.
The Hawks held on thanks primarily to DeMarre Carroll’s contribution of 25 points, a career high for the playoffs that included two layups in the last minute on assists from Jeff Teague.
After Al Horford went 1 of 2 from the free-throw line for a 3-point lead, the Wizards inbounded the ball with 6.