DALLAS – The Dallas Mavericks had lost an advantage of 11 points and all momentum, having gone almost three minutes without scoring, before Luka Doncic did one of the most spectacular clutch kick displays in recent NBA memory.
Doncic drained the game twice, dropping 3 points to give the Mavs the lead in his last two possessions, the second with 27 feet that swung with a tenth of a second remaining on Tuesday night to seal the 110-107 victory over the Boston Celts.
“We made some mistakes, but I loved the way we kept our balance, held on and made sure we put the ball in the hands of the right guy in the end,” said Mavs coach Rick Carlisle.
According to ESPN’s survey of statistics and information, only one other player hit a pair of green 3s in the final 30 seconds of a game in the past 25 seasons. Doncic joined the exclusive company of newsman Dan Dickau, who achieved the feat for the New Orleans Hornets in a victory over the LA Clippers on January 22, 2005.
Doncic’s heroism to beat Boston inspired Carlisle to pronounce the name of the 21-year-old All-Star in the same sentence as some NBA legends.
“The spinning of people like Luka Doncic, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant – guys who have this laser focus in these situations – is difficult to explain how their mind and how their brain works,” Carlisle said. “He is a very rare type of player. Not only does he have the laser focus, but he has the desire and has all the tools to deliver.”
Doncic, who finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, had to dig deep into his tool kit to hit the shot that sent Mavs up with 15.8 seconds remaining. After finding no space when trying to drive, Doncic gave the ball to Jalen Brunson and recovered it a few steps beyond the 3-point line with 11 seconds remaining on the kick clock. He received a screen from striker Dorian Finney-Smith that prompted the Celtics to switch defenders, allowing Doncic to isolate himself against center pivot Daniel Theis on the right wing. Doncic changed direction three times with dribbling between his legs before taking the step back with Theis’s hand on his face.
“It was good to get out of my hands,” said Doncic. “I was kind of tired of just chasing after all the possession, but it came in, and that’s all that matters.”
Brown, who led the Celtics with 29 points, responded by hitting his second opening shot in the final minute, heading for a tray with 9.5 seconds remaining. Dallas didn’t have a time limit and he didn’t need one, knowing that the plan was simply to take the ball to Doncic and let him create. Doncic maneuvered to the left wing and took a step back over two Celtics defenders, reminiscent of the horn he made to defeat the Clippers in Game 4 of the first round playoff series last season, the highlight of the superstar’s career . far.
“The last one was ridiculous,” said Celtics coach Brad Stevens, who guessed he hadn’t sent a second defender to Doncic when he was isolated at Theis in possession of the previous ball. “Kemba [Walker] was right there, Aaron [Nesmith] it was right there. I’m not going to be too hard on our guys for the last two photos that Luka Doncic just took. “
According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Doncic entered night 2 of 7 with a potential 3 seconds in the final 30 seconds of regulation time or overtime, including his stab in the playoffs against the Clippers. He went 2 out of 2 on Tuesday, allowing the 15-15 Mavs to reach 0.500 for the first time in a month.
“Sometimes you will lose – like the last game against Portland,” said Doncic, referring to his open 3 that marked Dallas’ final possession in the 121-118 loss on Valentine’s Day to the Trail Blazers. “And sometimes you can do it.”
The Mavs, whose season looked on the verge of collapse when they had a streak of six consecutive defeats that lasted through early February, have won six of their last seven games. Doncic led the NBA scoring during that period with 34.0 points per game, throwing 51.9% of the ground and 48.3% of the 3-point range, in addition to an average of 8.1 rebounds and 8.6 assists .
“He’s bringing us together,” said Brunson, who scored 22 on the bench. “We are on the right track now. We have to continue.”