NBA PLAYOFFS ROUNDUP
Wizards 103, Hawks 101: Paul Pierce’s banked-in 21-foot jumper at the buzzer gave host Washington the victory over Atlanta on Saturday night, even with an injured John Wall reduced to cheerleading, and after a 21-point lead had dwindled down to nothing.
The Wizards lead the Eastern Conference semifinal series 2-1.
Washington was missing Wall, its All-Star point guard, for a second consecutive game because of a broken left hand, but it was the Hawks who seemed out of sorts.
The Wizards led by 21 with less than 10 minutes left — and then held off Atlanta, which used a 17-0 run to get within three points with less than 3 1⁄2 minutes remaining and tied the game on Mike Muscala’s 3pointer with 14.1 seconds to go.
But Pierce came through as the clock hit zero, falling to his back on the court with both arms raised.
Bradley Beal, who had 17 points and eight assists, was the first teammate to reach Pierce, throwing playful punches at the 37-year-old veteran’s chest.
Game 4 in the best-of-seven series is Monday night at Washington.
Grizzlies 99, Warriors 89: Zach Randolph scored 22 points and Marc Gasol added 21 points and 15 rebounds as host Memphis beat Golden State to take a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference semifinal.
Mike Conley and Courtney Lee both finished with 11 points for Memphis, which has won two straight with Conley, their point guard, back in the lineup.
MVP Stephen Curry finished with 23 points for Golden State but was 8 of 21 from the field, including 2 of 10 outside the arc. Klay Thompson had 20 points, and Harrison Barnes added 16.
For a second straight game, the Grizzlies made the Warriors look nothing like the team that was the NBA’s best home or away during the regular season.
Game 4 is Monday night in Memphis.