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Marvin Williams’ big 3 lifts Hawks
Last-minute rally helps end four-game slide
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
The Hawks didn’t really care how. Or who. Just when. So just win was what they did Wednesday night — beating the 1-8 Washington Wizards 91-87.
The Hawks snapped their four-game losing streak, and they did it in the same way they started it — with a Marvin Williams 3-pointer in the final seconds. Only this time, unlike in Boston when Paul Pierce spoiled things with a jumper at the buzzer, the Hawks made a lead stand up.
Mikki K. Harris/mkharris@ajc.com
Marvin Williams tries to get a timeout, while battling for a loose ball with Washington’s Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison.
They needed to shut down the Wizards for 26.5 seconds after Williams’ shot, and they did, forcing both Juan Dixon and Nick Young into bad shots before Flip Murray came down with the backside rebound. Murray made two free throws on the other end to seal it.
Despite trailing by four with 1:05 to play, the Hawks (7-4) were back on track and back in touch with the team that started the season 6-0.
“We didn’t give up,” said Mike Bibby, who kept the Hawks in the game with 15 points in a resurgent third quarter. “That’s how we were playing in the six-game winning streak. … It looked like we wanted to win tonight. We put everything aside. We wanted to win this game.”
They put aside the fact that they were without both Josh Smith and Al Horford, their top two post players. Smith is nearly two weeks into his hiatus with a high ankle sprain, and Horford tried to go after spraining his ankle Tuesday night in Indiana but couldn’t.
In their absence Zaza Pachulia matched a career-high 18 rebounds, and Marvin Williams matched his career-best with 14 rebounds.
“Game ball has to go to Zaza,” Williams said. “The way he steps in and gets 18 rebounds is unbelievable. I’ve been here four years, and I’ve never seen him do that so. He really came out and made it a point, with Al out and Josh out, to rebound the ball tonight.”
As a team, the Hawks outrebounded the Wizards 58-40. And they played defense like coach Mike Woodson has been trying to get them to since their hot start.
“I thought our defense was back to where it was the first six games of the season,” Woodson said. “And we rebounded the basketball as a team.”
The Hawks limited Washington to 41.2 percent shooting. The Hawks shot only 39.3 percent themselves, but they hit the big shots when they needed them.
They got a 3-pointer each from Mo Evans, Joe Johnson and Williams coming down the stretch. Johnson pulled the Hawks within 87-86 with 56.8 seconds to play, and then in the final sequence on offense, when he knew he would draw a crowd, he found Williams in the corner.
“I knew a lot of attention would be drawn to me,” said Johnson, who got the last of his team-high eight assists on the play. “I’ve got confidence in him. He makes those shots all day. I just kicked it to him. He took his time, squared his feet and knocked down a big shot.”
Williams made it on tired legs. He played a season-high 45 minutes for the short-handed Hawks. He was one of three Atlanta starters who played more than 40 minutes, along with Johnson and Bibby. Pachulia and Evans, who made his third start, played 30-plus minutes.
“I had to play a lot of guys long minutes tonight, but they can rest tomorrow,” Woodson said.
The Hawks are off today before hosting Charlotte on Friday. They’re hoping Horford can return then.
Bibby led the Hawks with 25 points, followed by Williams with 21. Johnson had 19 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. The Wizards got 32 points from Caron Butler, but the Hawks held him scoreless for the last 5:41.
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