Even with a 21 point lead in the fourth quarter, the Wizards were tied with the Atlanta Hawks after Mike Muscala hit a 3-pointer to tie the game. The ball went to Paul Pierce, and the rest is history. As the clock was winding down, Pierce took a shot from just behind the free-throw line, and banked it in to give the Wizards a 103-101 victory over the Hawks.
The Wizards had control of the game the whole way until a collapse in the fourth quarter brought Atlanta back into the game. A win is a win, and Randy Wittman has to be happy with a series lead with another game being played at home on Monday night.
Paul Pierce was the hero of the night even after he went down early after falling hard to the ground. In only 25 minutes, Pierce scored 13 points on 5/12 shooting with 7 rebounds and an assist. The contribution was huge, and showed Pierce is not going to back down from younger and more athletic opponents.
Nene showed the first two games of the series was a fluke. After hearing a lot of hate for how he was performing, Nene set the tone early by scoring 13 points in the first half to show he was ready to perform at a high level so he could help Washington win. Nene finished the game with 17 points on 7/9 shooting, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal.
Even though Ramon Sessions did not score 21 points like he did in Game 2, he performed well enough to help the Wizards win with John Wall out. Sessions scored 8 points on 2/10 shooting, while also dishing out 6 assists and grabbing 3 boards. If John Wall is unable to come back for more games, Sessions must perform at this level to keep the Wizards’ hopes alive.
Bradley Beal (17), Otto Porter (17), and Marcin Gortat (14) all scored in double-figures while playing less than 40 minutes each. With production being spread throughout many players, it was hard for Atlanta to lock down on a certain guy because there were so many people they had to focus on. Every player needs to continue to do their best to get involved until John Wall gets back to be the primary facilitator.
The Wizards and Hawks will continue their battle on Monday night when the Verizon Center will once again be packed with fans trying to get the see their team gain a 3-1 lead. The Hawks will bring everything they have to ensure they do not fall too far behind, but the Paul Pierce will be sure to get the Wizards ready to take full control of the series.
