Luka Doncic, with 45 points and 14 assists, was not enough for the Dallas Mavericks to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers. His great performance was tarnished on the last play of the game, when Max Strus scored a triple from his field at the buzzer to make it 121-119 in favor of the Cavs.
Doncic's numbers, despite the defeat, were excellent (45 14 9). It is his seventh game of the season in which he manages to overcome the barrier of 40 points and 10 assists, something that only six players have achieved this season, and only once, compared to the Slovenian's seven.
The Mavericks, who were ahead for most of the game, were blocked in the final period. With five minutes remaining, Jason Kidd's team led the score by 10 points. But Luka Doncic, the franchise's attacking light, went out (zero points in the final six minutes) and his team lost a lead that seemed definitive.
There appeared the man of the match, Max Strus, who until then had only scored two shots. However, the former Heat player connected four consecutive triples, along with one from Donovan Mitchell, that put the Cavaliers ahead.
Even so, PJ Washington, with two seconds remaining, placed the score at 118-119 in favor of the Mavericks. Everything seemed over, since JB Bickerstaff, coach of the Cavs, did not have any time out to prepare a play in the opponent's field. However, Strus appeared, who scored the second furthest winning triple in NBA history (17.86 meters). Five of five on three-pointers in the fourth quarter to achieve a victory that keeps the Cavaliers in second place in the Eastern Conference, with a balance of 38-19.
For their part, the Mavericks, with 33 wins and 25 losses, are in eighth position in the Western Conference, but only one game behind the Suns, who mark the last position that gives direct access to the Playoffs.
