OAKLAND Warriors guard Jamal Crawford pumped his fist after he watched his game-winning 3-pointer splash the net with 11.3 seconds left. As he ran back to the bench, he fired bullets from each index finger before putting his imaginary guns in their holsters.
"It felt like we won a championship," said Crawford, who finished with 32 points, five assists and five rebounds. Crawford's clutch shot, the eighth game-winner of his career, allowed the Warriors to breathe a collective sigh of relief. It gave them a 120-117 win over the Indiana Pacers at Oracle Arena on Sunday, snapped their five-game losing streak, and got their seven-game homestand off to a positive start.
Not even the news of another player going down could kill the Warriors' buzz. Guard Marco Belinelli sprained his right ankle midway through the fourth quarter and had to be helped into the locker room. He is out indefinitely.
Still, the Warriors were floating in the locker room following just their sixth win in the past 28 games. After playing 23 of their first 38 games on the road, they play 15 of their next 20 at Oracle Arena. And now they're in a position to build some momentum.
"That one wouldn't have been good enough to play well and not come away with a win," Warriors coach Don Nelson said. "We needed a win too badly."
The Warriors almost let the game slip away. They shot 48.1 percent their fifth consecutive game outshooting their opponent and their eighth straight game shooting above 45 percent and made 32 of 39 free throws (82.1 percent). The reached their goal of 20 or more assists and six players registered in double figures.
But it all seemed to be for naught when Pacers forward Danny Granger hit a 22-footer to cap a 14-8 run and put Indiana ahead 107-106 with 4:40 left in the game. Moments later, Pacers forward Mike Dunleavy put the Warriors down 110-108 by nailing a 3-pointer with 3:43 left. Then Crawford took over.
His two free throws tied the game at 110, then he found center Andris Biedrins inside for a layup. With 33.5 seconds left, he put the Warriors ahead 116-114 by making his seventh and eighth free throws of the night.
Granger, who had a career high 42 points (giving him 83 in two games against the Warriors this season), nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key, putting Indiana ahead 117-116 with 23.8 seconds left.
"How does he get open at the top of the key for that three," Nelson said. "My goodness sakes. ... That was an error. A breakdown. Should never have happened. It was a big shot."
After Crawford's 3-pointer put the Warriors back ahead, Kelenna Azubuike had a chance to ice the game but split his free throws. With the Warriors up by three and 5.6 seconds left, the Pacers pushed the ball up the court and guard Travis Diener, Indiana's best 3-point shooter percentage wise, found himself wide open on the left wing.
For that second or so, it seemed the Warriors' much-needed victory might still elude them.
"Oh my gosh," Crawford said, describing his reaction to seeing Diener's attempt. "He had a wide, wide open three. I was like, 'Oh God. Please miss.'"
Diener did. Whew.
Contact Marcus Thompson II at mthomps2@bayareanewsgroup.com.Warriors 120,Pacers 117NEXT GAME: Wednesday, vs. Kings, 7:30 p.m.
