Five Takeaways: Williams hits go-ahead three in final seconds giving Clippers win

LOS ANGELES — Down two points with 10 seconds left, C.J. Williams pulled up from 26-feet to make the go-ahead three-pointer, pushing the Clippers (18-21) past the Hawks (10-30) for the 108-107 victory.

Here are five quick takeaways from the Clippers win.

Quote of the Night:

“I’ve made that shot before, just a rhythm dribble to my left, and once we got that offensive rebound, I felt the momentum and the excitement of the moment.” - C.J. Williams

1) C.J. Williams steals show —

After Lou Williams missed the first go-ahead three-point attempt, Wesley Johnson secured the offensive rebound and passed it out to C.J. Williams. With confidence, Williams dribbled once then hoisted a three, which found the bottom of the net to give the Clippers the lead and their 18th win of the season.

“I think his confidence has grown offensively. I think C.J. Williams was an NBA player when he walked on our team. He definitely plays defense and does all the little things,” said Doc Rivers.

Williams scored 8 points in the fourth quarter, finishing with 15 points, the second most he’s scored this season. The rookie guard also tallied 4 steals on the night, a career-high.

2) Williams sends Staples into a frenzy —

With only one defender in his way, Lou Williams launched himself at the rim and over the outstretched Ersan Ilyasova, dunking with a ferocity STAPLES Center wasn’t quite expecting from the guard. The crowd screeched the loudest it would all night. Willie Reed immediately jumped out his seat. Montrezl Harrell grabbed his head in disbelief. It was Williams’ seventh dunk of the year, and definitely the most memorable.

Williams scored 34 points, making it his 10th game with 30+ on the season. The 13-year pro is whom the Clippers look to towards the end of the game, and time after time he’s come through for them.

3) Clippers shut down Hawks outside approach —

The Atlanta Hawks shot 11 more shots than the Clippers, 96-85, and attempted 19 more threes, but shot only 39 percent overall, and just 27 percent from behind the arc. The Hawks offensive was sporadic, scoring in bunches but then would go cold for other stretches, with the Clippers team defense shutting them down. Taurean Prince scored 20 points. Ersan Ilyasova had his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

4) Jordan’s monster game —

DeAndre Jordan, the lone remaining starter for the Clippers from the beginning of the season, played another strong game for the Clippers, putting up 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting, with a whopping seven dunks. When the Clippers trailed by seven in the fourth quarter, it was a two-man game between Jordan and Williams that brought the Clippers back. When the Hawks started overplaying Williams, Jordan took advantage and scored in the post.

Jordan leads the NBA in dunks (115), much in thanks to his ability to clean off the glass and score on putbacks. Jordan corralled 18 rebounds. Late in the game and a few different times, when Jordan grabbed a rebound, the Hawks intentionally fouled the big man. But he answered the challenge, going 4-of-4 down the stretch to bring it to a 1-point game.

5) Two-Way Ty and Evans step up —

The Agua Caliente Clippers appears to be a never-ending well for the LA Clippers. Tyrone Wallace can now be added alongside C.J. Williams and Jamil Wilson for G-Leaguers to be promoted and receive significant minutes for the main squad. Wallace signed a two-way contract two days, with his first game being against the Thunder where he scored the most points in a rookie debut since Blake Griffin.

Tonight, Wallace played the most minutes off the bench and scored the most points, ending the game with 11 points in 19 minutes.

Not to be outdone, Jawun Evans mix of defense and offense was integral for the Clippers. The rookie guard played 37 minutes, the second most of his young career, and provided the Clippers with 15 points, including 3 three-pointers, and recorded 4 steals.

What’s Next? The Clippers travel up north to play the Warriors on Wednesday at 7:30 PST.