Hawks vs. Wizards: Game 3 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NBA Playoffs

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:

After the game, ESPN's Chris Broussard asked Pierce if he called bank before the shot left his hands. Pro Hoops History tweeted out The Truth's perfect response:

Per ESPN Stats & Info, Pierce's game-winning shot also put him in some exclusive company that only includes LeBron James:

Instead of trying to find one player to replace Wall's production, the Wizards took a team approach to thriving without the All-Star point guard. Five players reached double digits, including 17 each from Bradley Beal, Nene and Otto Porter Jr. Beal also added eight assists. 

Seven of Beal's assists came in the first half, which ESPN Stats & Info noted was a career best for the shooting guard in any half:

Wall told reporters prior to Game 3 that his advice to Beal as the Wizards point guard was to trust his teammates will be able to make plays when they get the ball, via the Associated Press (h/t the New York Times). 

"Trust the guys are going to make shots," Wall said. "Kick it out to them. That's something you have to build. He hasn't been in that situation too many times. Mostly he was the guy being aggressive and I have to find guys."

Beal had that trust in his teammates, who held up their end of the bargain. The hero for Washington in this game was Nene, who came into Saturday with just two points and seven rebounds in the first two games against Atlanta. 

Nene blew past those totals in Game 3 with 17 points and seven rebounds. His performance was so surprising it prompted this reaction GIF from the NBA on TNT's official Twitter account:

The Wizards also stifled Atlanta's outside shooters. Kyle Korver went 2-of-4 beyond the arc, but the rest of the team was a combined 5-of-19. 

The Hawks' comeback started with a 17-0 run in the fourth quarter to pull within three at 94-91 with just over three minutes left following a Shelvin Mack jumper. Dennis Schroder and Mike Scott were on fire in the final 12 minutes, combining for 22 points. 

Beal made a jumper to finally halt Atlanta's streak and give the Wizards some breathing room that seemed like it would be enough to hang on. 

Brian McNally of CBS Washington tried to put a positive spin on things when it appeared the sky was falling for the Wizards:

But the Hawks kept coming, as Mike Muscala nailed a three-pointer to tie the game with 14 seconds left. 

That set up Pierce's clutch moment. 

NBC News' Chuck Todd noted that teams from Washington were making this a miserable Saturday for Atlanta. Bryce Harper hit a walk-off homer for the Nationals against the Braves not long before Pierce's heroics:

It certainly wasn't the way Washington drew it up after jumping out to such a big lead, but regardless of how things ended, the Wizards still ended up getting the victory and putting Atlanta's back against the wall leading into Monday's Game 4. 

The questions about whether the Hawks were just a great regular-season team will only get louder now that they are trailing in this series. Their ability to fight back in this game when all seemed lost is a positive sign, however.

The Wizards have split two games with Wall out of the lineup. His status for Game 4 will likely be determined prior to tipoff, as it was Saturday. There's a long way to go in this series, but head coach Randy Wittman has his team in a great spot.