Advertisement

Lou Williams’ three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left gives Clippers win over Wizards

Cllippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) blocks the shot of Wizards guard Tim Frazier during the second quarter at Staples Center on Saturday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Share

The Clippers’ bizarre, last-second, too-close-for-comfort 113-112 victory over the Washington Wizards on Saturday afternoon was full of subplots that had to be explained by the officials postgame because of the unusual ending.

This story will start with Lou Williams hitting what turned out to be the game-winning shot, a 29-foot three-pointer over Bradley Beal with 1.2 seconds left for the game’s final points and the last of Williams’ 35 points.

Then the game turned into a strange affair that become even more confusing after an official attempted to explain things.

Advertisement

It began when Beal (25 points) made a shot on the baseline, but the ball was still in his hands when the buzzer sounded.

But the officials decided to review the play and concluded that there was a “clock malfunction” because of an early start. The clock was reset from 1.2 seconds to 1.1 seconds, allowing the Wizards to get one last shot that Marcin Gortat missed from three-point range.

After the game, a pool reporter interviewed NBA officiating crew chief Bill Spooner to get an explanation on why there was time put back on the clock after the review.

“The crew actually incorrectly reset the shot clock at 1.1. We should have reset it to 0.1,” Spooner said. “The reason is, on an early start, we timed the possession, the lost time. The only time that was lost was 0.1. So we should have inbounded the ball at the point of interruption, which is what we did. But it should have been 0.1 instead of 1.1.”

Clippers coach Doc Rivers wondered about all what was said by the officials.

And he was especially perplexed as to why the basketball was moved from the mid-hash mark just below half court on the sideline to the corner near the baseline when the Wizards took the ball out for the final time.

Advertisement

“The bizarre part for me is I didn’t understand why it was a deep corner play now instead of where it originally was at and why .1 was off the clock,” Rivers said. “Like, I didn’t understand any of that. I just wanted it to go in our favor. That’s all I cared about, and it did I guess at the end.”

Nearly lost in all the confusion was the clutch performance by Williams.

He was 11 for 20 from the field, four for eight from three-point range, his last the dagger.

“That’s where the game takes you,” Williams said about going for the win. “I made a move. Bradley bit on it and I like my chances, like I said, going left. I was able to just pull up, with a one-dribble pull up going left and I like that shot whether it’s 15 feet, 30 feet. I just feel good about that shot.”

The nonchalant Williams even took the last two bizarre plays in stride.

He mainly cared that the Clippers ended a skid at four games.

“It happens in the league,” Williams said. “I thought tonight we played hard enough to give ourselves an opportunity to win the game, especially the position we put ourselves in at halftime and being able to weather some big runs. So I thought that was a game that we were supposed to have.”

broderick.turner@latimes.com

Advertisement

Twitter: @BA_Turner

Advertisement