Sitting in Jamal Crawford’s locker after getting tossed from the game in the closing minutes, Zaza Pachulia was still miffed at his teammate for missing a free throw. All was forgiven when Crawford hit an improbable 3-pointer.
Crawford banked in the long-range shot from the top of the key with 5.7 seconds left to cap a brilliant second half, leading the Atlanta Hawks to an 88-84 victory over the Orlando Magic on Friday night and a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference playoff series.
The Hawks led most of the game, but it came right down to the wire — marred by an altercation that led to the ejection of Pachulia and Jason Richardson of Orlando.
Both were thrown out with 2:22 remaining after getting into it under the basket. The teams swapped the lead four times after that near-brawl, with Al Horford putting the Hawks ahead for good with 46.6 seconds remaining.
But Crawford, who scored 18 of his 23 points after halftime, hit the biggest shot of all. With the shot clock winding down, he put up a jumper over Jameer Nelson that struck high on the backboard and went in.
“I didn’t call bank. I think the bank’s closed right now,” Crawford quipped.
Game 4 is Sunday night. Pachulia and Richardson are both likely to miss that one after the NBA hands down expected suspensions.
“In that situation, I’m never going to back down,” said Pachulia, who had two long scratches on his right arm after a tough night tussling with Dwight Howard. “That’s just my personality.”
WRITTEN BY STATS LLC and The Associated Press & FULL STORY HERE
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