ATLANTA _ His body was gliding across the court in the all-important fourth quarter, the basketball seemingly on a string in Jamal Crawford's hands as he floated by defenders, a clear sign that the Los Angeles Clippers' guard had regained his lost confidence.
Then came the moment that surprised even Crawford, the moment he made his fourth consecutive jumper in the fourth quarter while being fouled, the moment of his hopping twice after he had scored to put the Clippers in position to pull out a 115-105 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night at Philips Arena.
Crawford has been in slump. So he talked to Dominique Wilkins, the NBA Hall of Famer who is the Hawks' TV analyst. His teammates had encouraged him.
So when Crawford scored eight of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and made that 19-foot jumper for a 109-101 Clippers lead, he did something rarely seen by the 17-year veteran: Hopping two times.
"I don't usually show emotion," Crawford, who was nine for 20 from the field, said. "It was just the moment. There was no thought in it. When I'm just playing, there is no thought. That's who I've been my whole career."
Crawford shared this night with Austin Rivers, who had 27 points on a night when it looked as if he wouldn't finish the game.
Rivers grabbed his left leg after missing a layup late in the second quarter, forcing him to the locker room for treatment.
He said his leg "just gave a little bit," but Rivers returned to play in the second half.
His three-pointer that preceded Raymond Felton's three closed the door for good on a Hawks team that had cut a Clippers 24-point lead down to five points late in the fourth.
"It was a good night that we won and that he's back. You can see him walking around right now. His confidence is Jamal-like," Rivers said. "So hopefully he can continue. If not, we'll still be there for him."
The month of January was beginning to take a toll on Crawford's psyche.
He had made just 27.7 percent of his shots, 14.8 percent of his three-pointers, in the previous nine games this month.
Crawford needed some reassurances.
"I talked to a lot of people, but the Dominique talk really hit home because he's one of the best players, best scorers who has ever played," Crawford said.
"He was like, 'Man, I've been through so many slumps.' He was like, 'But when you start thinking about it, you already stop yourself. Like, let it go. Let it go.' I was like I'm just going to get back to having fun. I started caring less, if that makes any sense."
It showed in Crawford's body language, especially in the fourth quarter, when he played all 12 minutes and made four of seven shots.
"I think now I'm back," Crawford said. "I don't want to say it like that. Dang, that came out wrong. That was a natural thought. No, I feel more like myself. I'm back, though. Like myself."
