Check out every angle of AJ Griffin's absolutely stunning alley-oop game-winner against the Bulls.
A reminder on The Horry Scale: It breaks down a game-winning buzzer-beater (GWBB) in the categories of difficulty, game situation (was the team tied or behind at the time?), importance (playoff game or garden-variety night in November?) and celebration. Then we give it an overall grade on a scale of 1-5 Robert Horrys, named for the patron saint of last-second answered prayers.
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Three lead changes. One second.
It was a workout for the official scorer on Sunday in Atlanta, where Trae Young’s step-back 3-pointer, DeMar DeRozan’s three free throws and AJ Griffin’s buzzer-beating layup each landed within the final official tick of the clock.
Elation to disappointment to amazement and disbelief. A 123-122 Hawks victory in front of the home fans.
What a ride for everyone at State Farm Arena, and anyone with eyeballs on the action from afar. It marked the second game-winning layup of the season for Atlanta’s rookie swingman, who now has more of these in 31 days than most players hit in their careers.
GAME SITUATION: Young, working on the left wing as time ticked away, nailed a step-back 3-pointer to put the Hawks up two with 1 second remaining. A timeout advanced the Bulls to halfcourt, where DeMar DeRozan was fouled shooting a 3-pointer, then coolly nailed all three from the stripe, leaving the Hawks trailing by 1 with :00.5 left.
The Hawks first set up with Young inbounding, but the 6-foot-1 guard couldn’t find a lane around 6-foot-10 Bulls center Nikola Vucevic. Atlanta called timeout and tapped 6-foot-8 Jalen Johnson to step in. Showtime.
VIEW FROM THE COURT
AJ IS HIM pic.twitter.com/jUCHWGy2sj
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) December 12, 2022
DIFFICULTY: Griffin came hard baseline around a back screen, braking abruptly and reversing direction as he exited the paint. Johnson lobbed the pass where only Griffin could catch it, dropping it over his outside shoulder as Griffin elevated. Drifting away from the basket, Griffin contorted and released a flat shot over his shoulder as he began to descend. It softly rolled along the rim and in. The body control was absolutely wild.
CELEBRATION: Mayhem in front of the home fans. Nailed in front of the Atlanta bench, the whole team popped up to crowd Griffin, with Justin Holiday getting the full-force dap as the first man in. The pile-on continued from there.
Mama there goes that man !@whoisAG21 pic.twitter.com/BTSqvgp3yg
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) December 12, 2022
GRADE: The swings! The tugs on the heartstrings! The failed first inbounds! The perfect pass on the second! The body control to make the catch midair facing away and shoot facing forward!
This was as good as it gets in the regular season. 4.5 Horrys.
