Lou Williams called GAME.
The Los Angeles Clippers sixth man called his number with the scores tied, burying the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer to give his team a 119-116 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
.@TeamLou23 CALLED GAME. pic.twitter.com/ekmsmKF0OL
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) March 18, 2019
Trailing 116-106 with 1:02 remianing in the game, the Nets launched a last-gasp comeback behind a 10-0 run to tie things up with just 5.3 seconds remaining as D'Angelo Russell found Jarrett Alen for a dunk.
Then Lou Will happened.
"Going left, I shoot it from anywhere, so they allowed me to go to one of my sweet spots and I was able to make a big shot" Williams said post-game.
With a timeout to draw up a play, Williams executed when it mattered most, adding to his already growing list of late-game heroics for the Clippers, a role he is more than embracing.
"Just having the confidence, I know the guys have confidence in me. Fourth quarter's always been one of my strongest quarter over the course of my career, so tonight was no different.
"Give credit to a good Brooklyn team, those guys are scrappy, they play hard for four quarters"
He finished with 25 points and six rebounds off the bench, combining with Montrezl Harrell who added 20 points and 10 rebounds in another strong performance from the league's premiere second unit duo. Danilo Gallinari added 20 points and 11 rebounds, while rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander chipped in 14 points and a career-high 10 assists.
Brooklyn led by as many as 19 points in the first half, before a 25-4 run in the second quarter led by 13 points from Gallinari and an energetic burst from Harrell swung the game Los Angeles' way.
With scores tied at 87-87 heading into the fourth quarter, the Clippers took a 14-point lead with just under seven minutes left, thanks to buckets from Williams, Harrell and Gilgeous-Alexander, before Brooklyn made thier move.
The Nets had five players score in double figures with DeMarre Carroll coming off the bench with 22 points, while fellow reserve Spencer Dinwiddie struggled on 2-of-16 shooting for this 13 points. De'Angelo Russell led the way with 32 points on 6-of-12 shooting from deep, adding 10 assists and five rebounds, plus the play of the game with this bit of fancy footwork in the paint.
DLO WHAT pic.twitter.com/1Pc942RGeO
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 18, 2019
With the win, the Clippers move to 40-31 on the season, 0.5 of a game behind the sixth-placeed San Antonio Spurs as the race for seedings in the Western Conference heats up.
The Nets have now lost three-straight games and sit at 36-36 in seventh-place in the Eastern Conference.
