Court Vision: Hornets sink Hawks in 2OT with Stephenson's three at buzzer
Going inside the Hornets' 122-119 double-overtime win over the Hawks on Friday night in Charlotte.
Even though he was averaging just 6.6 a game and shooting a woeful 26.7 percent from the field entering the night, Hornets shooting guard Lance Stephenson went into the huddle with 2.7 seconds left in double-overtime and begged coach Steve Clifford to let him take the game-winning shot.
Clifford obliged and designed the last play for the Stephenson, who joined the team this summer as a high-price free agent from Indiana. It couldn't have worked out better for Charlotte (3-3).
Stephenson inbounded the ball to Marvin Williams, who immediately tossed back to Stephenson, who in turn dribbled to between the top of the three-point line and the half-court circle, where he let it fly and, he says, banked it in on purpose.
Stephenson said it was the first game-winning shot of his basketball life, and he reacted as such, jumping on top of the scorer's table and pumping his fists to the adoring crowd.
"I know my shot had been short all night so I tried to get it off the backboard," he said. "I hadn't hit a shot all season. I wasn't hot, but I told (Clifford) to let me see if I can hit this shot. I said, 'Come on, give me the call.' He said, 'Alright, let's go.'"
It was also Stephenson's first double-double of the season as he grabbed 13 rebounds to go along with his 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting.
"I hope it gives him some confidence," Hornets guard Kemba Walker said. "He's been struggling, but there's a lot of games left."
Whenever Hawks point guard Jeff Teague sees Walker and Charlotte, something kicks in and he performs at an ultra-high level. Such was the case again Friday night.
In four games against the then Bobcats last season, Teague averaged 18.8 points, 8.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, while shooting a robust 57.9 percent from three-point range. He was very close to those same numbers Friday night, even before the game went into the first overtime.
Teague scored 22 points on 9-of-23 shooting, while handing out a career-high-tying 15 assists, which wound up being his first double-double of the season. He added four rebounds and a blocked shot for good measure.
Teague has now scored in double figures in six consecutive games against Charlotte.
However, in the two overtimes, Teague struggled to get his shot down. He was isolated numerous times because of his dominance of Walker throughout the night. But he couldn't make things happen and Atlanta (1-3) suffered as a result.
In the two overtimes, Teague combined to go 1-of-6 shooting and scoring only two points. He also added two turnovers and three personal fouls.
"I thought that in the second half and in overtime, Kemba did a good job," Clifford said. "Teague's a handful in the pick-and-roll. We also didn't give up any fast-break points in the fourth quarter or overtime, where they were previously hurting us."
Despite the last second heroics by Stephenson, once again it was big Al Jefferson that made everything possible for the Hornets to get the win.
Jefferson finished with a game-high 34 points, while making over 67 percent of his shots on the night. It's the 31st consecutive game in which he's scored at least 10 points and he's also scored at least 20 points in four straight games.
All this despite having severe cramps late in the game.
"I was cramping real bad the whole second overtime," he said. "If we'd gone into another overtime, I don't think I would've made it."
But then he added with a smile, "It's funny how the cramps go away when I get the ball."
14-2 -- The record the Hawks have against Charlotte over their last 16 meetings. The win by the Hornets also snaps a six-game winning streak by Atlanta in Charlotte.
0 -- The number of minutes Hornets guard Gerald Henderson played. This is quite difference from the last three seasons when he started.
