DALLAS – The Dallas Mavericks had an 11-point lead and lost all momentum, after nearly three minutes without scoring, before Luka Doncic delivered one of the most spectacular clutch-shooting displays in recent NBA memory.
Doncic drew two hard-fought, step-back three-pointers to put the Mavs in charge of their last two possessions, the second a 27-footer remaining on Tuesday-evening with a tenth of a second to win the 110-107 victory over the Boston Celtics.
“We made a few mistakes, but I loved the way we kept our balance, and made sure we got the ball in the hands of the right man at the end,” said Mavs coach Rick Carlisle.
According to research from ESPN Stats & Information, only one other player has hit a pair of go-ahead 3s in the last 30 seconds of a match in the past 25 seasons. Doncic joined the exclusive troupe of companion guard Dan Dickau, who completed the feat for the New Orleans Hornets on January 22, 2005, winning the LA Clippers.
Doncic’s stubborn exploits to defeat Boston inspired Carlisle to pronounce the 21-year-old All-Star’s name in the same sentence as some NBA legends.
“Wiring from 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 and how their brains work,” Carlisle said. “He’s a very rare player. Not only does he have the laser-like focus, but he also has the desire and he has all the tools to perform.”
Doncic, who finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, had to reach deep into his toolbox to hit the shot that gave the Mavs with 15.8 seconds to go. After not finding space when trying to drive, Doncic passed the ball to Jalen Brunson and got it back a few steps past the 3-point line with 11 seconds remaining on the shot clock. He got a screen from attacker Dorian Finney-Smith that prompted the Celtics to switch defenders, allowing Doncic to isolate himself from center Daniel Theis on the right wing. Doncic changed direction three times with dribbles between the legs before swinging the step back with Theis’ hand in his face.
“It felt good out of my hands,” said Doncic. “I was a little tired running around the whole property, but it came in, and that’s all that matters.”
Brown, who led the Celtics with 29 points, responded by firing his second last-minute start and drove for a lay-up with 9.5 seconds to go. Dallas had neither a timeout nor needed one, knowing the plan was to give Doncic the ball and let him create. Doncic maneuvered to the left wing and stepped back over two Celtics defenders, reminiscent of the buzzer he made to beat the Clippers in Game 4 of last season’s first-round playoff series, the signature moment of the career of the superstar. far.
“The latter was ridiculous,” said Celtics coach Brad Stevens, who secondly suspected that he had not sent a second defender to Doncic when he became isolated from Theis’ previous possession. ‘Kemba [Walker] was there, Aaron [Nesmith] Was there. I’m not going to get too hard on our boys for those last two shots Luka Doncic just took. “
According to ESPN Stats & Information investigation, Doncic went night 2-of-7 on potential green light 3s in the last 30 seconds of regulation or overtime, including his decision dagger against the Clippers. He went 2v2 on Tuesday, bringing the 15-15 Mavs to 0.500 for the first time in a month.
“Sometimes you’re going to miss it – like the last game against Portland,” said Doncic, referring to his wide open 3 that came out on Dallas’ last possession of a 121-118 Valentine’s Day loss to the Trail Blazers. “And sometimes you go and make it.”
The Mavs, whose season was about to crumble when they had a six-game lost streak that stretched into early February, have won six of their past seven games. Doncic led the NBA on that stretch with 34.0 points per game, 51.9% from the floor and 48.3% from the 3-point range, while also averaging 8.1 rebounds and 8.6 assists.
“He brings us together,” said Brunson, who had 22 points off the bench. ‘We are now on the right track. We have to keep going. ‘