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Atlanta Hawks vs. Washington Wizards Game-3 Recap: Paul Pierce Hits Game-Winning Shot, 103-101

By Ben Mehic

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That really just happened.

With 14 seconds left on the clock, the game all tied up, Bradley Beal dished the ball to Paul Pierce. Then he did what Paul Pierce does.

He drilled a game-winning jumper over two defenders with no time remaining. Off the glass. He didn’t call it, but like he said afterwards, he called game.

Washington Wizards take a 2-1 series lead. Wow.

101. 125. 103. 142. Final

Without John Wall, the Wizards struggled mightily against the Hawks in Game-2, especially late in the game. Unfortunately, they struggled late in the game tonight too, but right out of the gate, they didn’t seem to be missing their All-Star point guard.

Nene, in particular, was outstanding to start the game.

He scored 8 points in the first quarter and set the tone on both ends of the floor.

While Washington had a tendency to force Nene the ball during the regular season, his shots tonight actually came within the flow of the offense. With Otto Porter on the floor, Nene was able to distribute the ball as well, making up for some of Wall’s passing ability.

Nene finished the game with 17 points (7-9 shooting), 7 rebounds and 4 assists. In the previous two games against Atlanta, he didn’t make a single field goal. In fact, a lot of people–including myself–suggested that Nene should be taken out of the lineup. The Brazilian Bruiser showed up tonight.

Speaking of Otto Porter…

A lot of people expected Porter to eventually play well, even though he wasn’t getting much playing time during the regular season. He’s shown flashes of why the Washington Wizards picked him third overall in 2013. But nobody expected him to break out like he has during this year’s playoffs.

In the first round, Porter’s confidence skyrocketed and he became a key part of Randy Wittman‘s rotation. He knocked down open threes, moved without the ball, and most importantly, locked DeMar DeRozan down.

Besides Marcin Gortat, Porter is probably the most reliant on Wall’s passing. Tonight, though, he played the best game of his career.

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Porter went from sitting at the end of the bench to playing 40 minutes in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. He led the team in minutes played. As Otto would say, Wittman is learnin’.

He finished the game with 17 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. The swagger he’s shown over the past several weeks has been unbelievable.

Porter is shooting every single shot with confidence and his stroke has been perfect. He’s continued to move without the ball well and he’s running in transition. Basically, he’s doing exactly what he did at Georgetown.

Needless to say, he’s shed the unfair bust label. Otto Porter is legit and he’s not going anywhere.

Wall was pretty excited after Porter finished a one-hand jam.

Bradley Beal did a lot of the ball handling tonight, and surprisingly, he did a good job of getting his teammates involved without forcing the issue.

Beal was aggressive all game long, and for the most part, didn’t settle for many mid-range jumpers. He had 7 assists at halftime, and finished with 17 points and 8 assists.

He knocked down a deep three and Will Bynum converted a layup that ballooned Washington’s lead to 21 points. The Hawks seemed dejected and the game was essentially over, right? Of course not.

Atlanta’s bench tore Washington apart in the fourth quarter and their seemingly insurmountable lead vanished.

Mike Scott, Dennis Schroder and Kent Bazemore all knocked down shots and the Wizards’ lead was cut to just three. And then who hit the game-tying three with just seconds left on the clock? Mike Muscala.

The Hawks’ starters were inconsistent the entire game, but their bench almost single handedly brought them back to victory.

And then Paul Pierce did this.

I honestly can’t even put into words what Paul Pierce means to the Washington Wizards.

Sure, he’s 37-years-old. Sure, he’s not the same player he was three or four years ago. But he’s still Paul Pierce, The Truth, the confident, trash talking, Paul Pierce. He’s helped instill Wall, Beal and Porter with a sense of confidence that only a handful of players in the NBA could bring.

At 37-years-old, Pierce is still hitting fade-away game winners. There’s really not much more that should be said.

Regardless of the outcome of this series, we have something to be proud of.

The Washington Wizards have heart and they’ve rarely given up. That means something. Even though they’re missing their best player, the Wizards didn’t hang their heads. Players like Ramon Sessions and Will Bynum stepped up when Coach Wittman called their names. That’s just evidence of the culture change the Wizards have experienced.

Washington blew a 21-point lead, but it almost seems worth it. You’re awesome, Paul.

The Wizards will play Game-4 on Monday.

Next: Reacting to John Wall's Injury

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