With 8:49 remaining in the first half of Game 5 at Verizon Center and the Wizards trailing the Hawks, 34-27, Washington Coach Scott Brooks called a timeout. Just before play resumed, former vice president Joe Biden, who was seated courtside, was introduced on the video board as Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” played.

The crowd went wild.

Biden figures to be back at Verizon Center in the coming weeks. In February, he sent a letter to WNBA star Elena Delle Donne congratulating the former MVP and University of Delaware star on her offseason trade to the Mystics.

“I look forward to watching you play here in the District,” Biden wrote, in part. “Washington is a great city, but the best part is that it’s only a short train ride from our home state of Delaware.”

If Biden is as much of a good-luck charm for the Mystics as he apparently was for the Wizards in the first half, Delle Donne’s new team might go undefeated. Following the standing ovation for Biden, the Wizards went on an 11-2 run to take a 38-36 lead.

Biden earlier Wednesday appeared at George Mason University. He was speaking at an event for “It’s On Us,” an initiative aimed at combating sexual assault on college campuses.