Wizards, Grizzlies up 2-1
WASHINGTON—Washington veteran Paul Pierce hit a jump shot on the buzzer to give the Wizards a 103-101 home win against Atlanta on Saturday to take a 2-1 advantage in their NBA Eastern Conference semifinal series.
In the day’s other game, Memphis also went up 2-1 in its series with a home victory over a misfiring Golden State, 99-89.
Pierce, hemmed in by three defenders, got off a fallaway, 20-foot jumper that went in off the backboard as the Wizards escaped with a last-gasp win after having given up a 21-point lead.
“Usually I like to save those type of shots for later rounds,” Pierce quipped.
Told that Dennis Schroder, one of the Hawks who tried in vain to disrupt the game-winner, called it “a lucky shot,” the 37-year-old Pierce chuckled.
“I guess Schroder is going to say that, because he’s a little young. … He hasn’t been able to see it over the last 17 years.”
Pierce, who won a championship with Boston in 2008 is aware that time is running out on his career and this may well be his last shot at a championship.
“I’m still soaking it up,” Pierce said, “because I don’t have too many more of these left.”
Game 4 in the best-of-seven series is Monday at Washington.
It was the second straight day a bank shot at the buzzer won an NBA playoff game. Derrick Rose hit a three off the glass to give Chicago a 99-96 victory over Cleveland on Friday.
Washington was missing John Wall, its All-Star point guard, for a second consecutive game because of a broken left hand, but it was the Hawks who seemed out of sorts most of the evening.
The Wizards led by 21 with less than 10 minutes left before the visitors stormed back.
“We got comfortable,” said Bradley Beal, who had 17 points and eight assists for Washington. “We thought the game was over.”
Even Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer put it this way: “You feel like you’re not going to be able to close that gap.”
Yet Budenholzer’s small lineup of little-used reserves made things interesting.
A 17-0 run got the visitors within three points with less than 3 1/2 minutes remaining, and Mike Muscala’s 3-pointer with 14.1 seconds left tied it.
But Pierce came through as the clock hit zero, releasing the ball with about a second to go.
Memphis’ Zach Randolph scored 22 points to lead the Grizzlies.
Marc Gasol added 21 points and 15 rebounds while Mike Conley and Courtney Lee both finished with 11 points for Memphis.
League MVP Stephen Curry finished with 23 points for Golden State. AP
