Even without star point guard John Wall, the Washington Wizards held off a late rally by the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series to take a 2-1 lead. The Wizards got a game-winning shot from Paul Pierce at the buzzer for a 103-101 win on their home court.
It shouldn't have come down to Pierce's final shot, though, as the Wizards had a 19-point lead to start the fourth quarter and a 91-70 advantage with less than 10 minutes to play. Atlanta deserves credit for making things interesting, but Washington looked completely out of sync down the stretch without Wall leading the offense.
The Wizards ruled Wall out just hours before Saturday's game due to the wrist injury he suffered in Game 1. He was arguably the best player in the postseason at the time of his injury, averaging 17.4 points, 12.6 assists and 4.6 rebounds in five playoff games.
Pierce bailed the rest of his team out with an off-balance jumper that was reminiscent of Derrick Rose's game-winner for Chicago on Friday night by hitting off the glass before going through the basket. Here's how it looked:
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Article written by Adam Wells
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