DALLAS – The Dallas Mavericks lost an 11-point lead and all the momentum after nearly three minutes without scoring before Luka Doncic offered one of the most spectacular clutch displays in recent NBA memory.
Doncic drained twice tightly contested, with 3 points back to give the Mavs the lead in the last two possessions, the second a 27-foot leg that he won by a tenth of a second remaining Tuesday night to seal the 110-107 victory on the Boston Celtics.
“We made a few mistakes, but I really liked the way we kept our balance, hung on and made sure we had the ball in the hands of the right guy at the end,” said Mavs coach Rick Carlisle.
According to ESPN Stats & Information research, only one other player has hit a pair of 3s in the last 30 seconds of a game in the last 25 seasons. Doncic joined the exclusive company of goalie Dan Dickau, who achieved the feat for the New Orleans Hornets in a January 22, 2005 win over the LA Clippers.
Doncic’s momentary heroism to defeat Boston inspired Carlisle to pronounce the 21-year-old All-Star in the same sentence as some NBA legends.
“Wiring people like Luka Doncic, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant – guys who have this laser-like focus in these situations – it’s hard to explain how their minds work and how their brains work.” Carlisle said: “It’s a very rare rarity of players. Not only does it have laser-like focus, but it has the desire and all the tools to deliver. “
Doncic, who finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, had to go deep into his toolkit to hit the shot that lifted the Mavs with 15.8 seconds left. After not finding a place when he tried to drive, Doncic gave the ball to Jalen Brunson and recovered it a few steps beyond the 3-point line with 11 seconds left on the shot clock. He received a screen from striker Dorian Finney-Smith that prompted the Celtics to change defenders, allowing Doncic to isolate himself from the center of Daniel Theis on the right wing. Doncic changed direction three times with dribbles between his legs before turning back with Theis’ hand in front.
“I felt good in my hands,” Doncic said. “I was a little tired just running around the whole possession, but he came in and that’s all that matters.”
Brown, who led the Celtics with 29 points, responded by hitting his second shot in the last minute, leading for a half with 9.5 seconds left. Dallas didn’t have a timeout and didn’t need one, knowing that the plan was simply to bring Doncic the ball and let him create. Doncic maneuvered to the left wing and took a step back over two Celtic defenders, reminiscent of the buzz he made to defeat the Clippers in Game 4 of the playoff series in the first round of last season, a milestone in the superstar’s career. , so far.
“The last one was ridiculous,” said Celtics coach Brad Stevens, who guessed he would not send a second defender to Doncic when he was isolated by Theis in previous possession. “Kemba [Walker] It was right there, Aaron [Nesmith] it was right there. I won’t be too harsh with our boys for the last two photos Luka Doncic just took. “
According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Doncic entered the night 2 -7 on 7 potential 3s in the last 30 seconds of regulation or overtime, including his playoff dagger against the Clippers. It went 2-of-2 on Tuesday, allowing the 15-15 Mavs to reach .500 for the first time in a month.
“Sometimes you’ll miss it – like the last game against Portland,” Doncic said, referring to his open 3 that marked Dallas’ final possession of a 121-118 Valentine’s Day loss to Trail. Blazers. – And sometimes you will succeed.
The Mavs, whose season seemed about to collapse when they had a six-game losing streak that spanned early February, have won six of their last seven games. Doncic led the NBA in scoring during that stretch with 34.0 points per game, shooting 51.9% from the floor and 48.3% from the 3-point distance, while averaging 8.1 rebounds and 8.6 than decisive.
“It brings us together,” said Brunson, who had 22 points on the bench. “We are on the right track now. We must continue.”