LUKA HEAVES CRAZY COMEBACK BUZZER-BEATER
The Mavericks star saved the team from spiraling into a 4 of 5 losing streak with a dazzling last shot in Memphis to grab a win for a visiting team that hadn’t led since 7:31. Woo-hoo!
GAME STORY
All the rotation players were available for the Mavericks. Jackson, Milton, and Winslow were out for Memphia.
The first quarter featured excellent offense from both teams, led by 14 points from Grizzly guard Grayson Allen. The Mavs' high scorer was Tim Hardaway, who appeared to be leaving his slump behind with a 4-5 quarter for nine points. Kristaps made an impact with a trailing three and a bank shot. By the first period buzzer, the Mavs had lost a 6-point lead to a late barrage of Memphis triples and trailed 32-34.
The second quarter began inauspiciously with a Dallas turnover. Less than five minutes in, the Grizz had built a 9-point lead. Redick came in and immediately hit one of his two threes in the frame. Dwight Powell impressed with a team-high 8 points in the period — three dunks, and a floater over Valunciunas. KP had 7 on 3-3 from the floor, but exited with his third foul with a little under four minutes left. There was a bit of a scary moment when Allen fell on Brunson, apparently an old trick of his; no foul was called. Anyway, KP and Redick combined to whittle the nine-point deficit from 9 to 2, and Powell tied the game at 3:25. The Mavs were down 57-60 at the buzzer. Luka was 1-6 and had 4 points in the half, but made some excellent passes for 7 assists.
Luka came to life in the third, attacking and getting to the rim, and scoring 14 points. However, only two of his teammates scored, KP with 7 and J Rich with 5. Mavs continued to shoot poorly from deep (3-11), and their deficit edged up to six, with Dallas on the wrong side of an 83-89 scoreline after three.
The Mavs erased their deficit to start the fourth, and a 9-2 run capped by a Redick three gave them a brief lead, but they quickly found themselves six points behind again.
The Mavs entered the clutch period down 4. The game was tied with 3 minutes left.
A JV dunk and Kyle Anderson three put the Grizz back to a 5-point lead at 2:07.
A KP driving floater brought the Mavs within three at 1:02.
Luka executed a finger roll layup to come within one, but had to intentionally foul Morant, who completed both free throws to put the Grizz up three with 25 seconds left.
Luka made a puzzling foray into the paint down three, perhaps hoping for an and-one, missed his shot, was fouled, made the first freebie and missed the second.
With three seconds left and two points behind, they quickly fouled Grayson Allen, who did the Mavs a solid by missing both free thows.
The Mavs took their last time out, and Luka threw up a desperate prayer on a one-handed, stumbling, wrong-footed, falling-down floater out of a double team that slipped through the nylon for a three-point winner! What a thrill!!!!
STATISTICS
The Mavericks put up one shot fewer than the Grizz, and had 4 fewer free-throw attempts, but hoisted 6 more 3PTAs than the home team. Although Dallas did not hit well from range (32%), the greater number of attempts enabled them to even the score beyond the arc. Point differentials were +4 on points from twos, a push on points from threes, and -3 in made free throws. The Mavs had a 19-7 disadvantage in fast-break points, but had some good decisions and a big helping of good luck in the last few minutes. The clutch unit consisted of the starters, but with Brunson in for Richardson. A last shot, the likes of which we may never see again, put the cherry on top for Dallas.
PLAYERS
DONCIC. Luka was Man of the Match, with 20 points and 9 assists. Carlisle remarked after the contest that his superstar was not even having a particular good game, going 3-10 from deep and 6-9 from three, and committing three turnovers. Of course, the famous last shot was the highlight of the game, drawing awe-inspired praise from hither and yon, including a number of NBA celebrities. After the game, the ever-humble youngster said he was “kinda lucky” that the game-winning shot had gone in, and thought he probably didn't deserve the Defensive Player of the Game award, but “will take it.” What an incredible player!!
Fans who have been following Luka’s technical foul saga will be relieved to hear that the NBA has rescinded a T he received for shouting “and-one” after a layup against the Knicks, reducing his total for the season to 11.
PORZINGIS. KP showed out well in this game, with 21 points and 6 rebounds. He scored in a variety of ways, and fought hard on the glass. Called for his third foul in the second quarter, he successfully avoided foul trouble in the second half, committing only one in last twenty-four. This was about as energetic as I have seen Kris, and he seemed to be relishing the big-man battle with Valanciunas.
POWELL. Dwight had a very good night, with 12 points and 8 boards in 15 minutes, and boasted a 6-7 shooting evening. He looked to have most of his hops back, with several dunks and a pretty shot over JV in the second. Would be fabulous if he can bring his vertical game back going forward, even if it's only for 15-20 minutes a night.
STARTERS. Maxi almost shot his team out of the game, going 3-11, but had 8 rebounds in a team-high 37 minutes, and we have seen proof lately of how important he is on the defensive end. Doe-Doe had 7 points and 6 rebounds in a relaxing 29-minute night. It wasn’t the greatest of nights for J Rich, who recorded 9 points on 3-9 shooting and did not seem impactful defensively.
RESERVES. Brunson almost had a triple-double in a 28-minute sixth man role, with an 8/8/9 line. He had only 5 shots on the night, but completed 4 of them, and was in the closing unit. Hardaway was one of 4 Mavs in double figures, with 11, but was 1-5 from three. Redick got 15 minutes in a nine-man rotation, and hit three of his four 3PTAs for 9 points, He does appear to still be chipping the rust off, with 4 turnovers, three of the live-ball variety and one for stepping out of bounds.
GRIZZLIES. The Grizz put up an impressive fight and almost pulled off a victory. Grayson Allen torched the Mavs with 23 points, including six threes, but obligingly missed two critical free throws in the last minute. Jonas Valanciunas recorded 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 7-12 shooting, proving to be a formidable presence in the middle. Ja Morant had 17 points and 5 assists. His namesake at the Memphis Zoo, Ja Raffe, did not make an appearance at the arena. Dillon Brooks laid 15 on Dallas, but was held to 6-17 attempts. Desmond Bane had 11 points and 5 dimes off the bench.
OBSERVATIONS
Carlisle did not seem as happy in the post-game interview as his celebrating players, although he did rave about Luka’s last shot. He allowed that his squad could have had a better defensive game, but “Houdini” had provided a “joyous escape.” He admonished that a game-winning shot like that comes along once in a blue moon, and I had the distinct impression that he would have preferred that the Mavericks take home the victory in a less dramatic fashion. He warned that his team was very, very fortunate to have achieved the win, and compared Luka’s will, focus, and belief to various ichi-ban scorers he has known, such as Bird, LeBron, and Kobe, shamefully omitting Dirk from his list.
Your Dallas Mavericks can heave a sigh of relief after this one. Some criticisms could certainly be made, and surely would have been made in a loss, but tonight, we may as well just revel in a miraculous delivery from defeat, courtesy of our own Mr. Doncic.
The Knicks are next on the schedule.
The Mavericks star saved the team from spiraling into a 4 of 5 losing streak with a dazzling last shot in Memphis to grab a win for a visiting team that hadn’t led since 7:31. Woo-hoo!
GAME STORY
All the rotation players were available for the Mavericks. Jackson, Milton, and Winslow were out for Memphia.
The first quarter featured excellent offense from both teams, led by 14 points from Grizzly guard Grayson Allen. The Mavs' high scorer was Tim Hardaway, who appeared to be leaving his slump behind with a 4-5 quarter for nine points. Kristaps made an impact with a trailing three and a bank shot. By the first period buzzer, the Mavs had lost a 6-point lead to a late barrage of Memphis triples and trailed 32-34.
The second quarter began inauspiciously with a Dallas turnover. Less than five minutes in, the Grizz had built a 9-point lead. Redick came in and immediately hit one of his two threes in the frame. Dwight Powell impressed with a team-high 8 points in the period — three dunks, and a floater over Valunciunas. KP had 7 on 3-3 from the floor, but exited with his third foul with a little under four minutes left. There was a bit of a scary moment when Allen fell on Brunson, apparently an old trick of his; no foul was called. Anyway, KP and Redick combined to whittle the nine-point deficit from 9 to 2, and Powell tied the game at 3:25. The Mavs were down 57-60 at the buzzer. Luka was 1-6 and had 4 points in the half, but made some excellent passes for 7 assists.
Luka came to life in the third, attacking and getting to the rim, and scoring 14 points. However, only two of his teammates scored, KP with 7 and J Rich with 5. Mavs continued to shoot poorly from deep (3-11), and their deficit edged up to six, with Dallas on the wrong side of an 83-89 scoreline after three.
The Mavs erased their deficit to start the fourth, and a 9-2 run capped by a Redick three gave them a brief lead, but they quickly found themselves six points behind again.
The Mavs entered the clutch period down 4. The game was tied with 3 minutes left.
A JV dunk and Kyle Anderson three put the Grizz back to a 5-point lead at 2:07.
A KP driving floater brought the Mavs within three at 1:02.
Luka executed a finger roll layup to come within one, but had to intentionally foul Morant, who completed both free throws to put the Grizz up three with 25 seconds left.
Luka made a puzzling foray into the paint down three, perhaps hoping for an and-one, missed his shot, was fouled, made the first freebie and missed the second.
With three seconds left and two points behind, they quickly fouled Grayson Allen, who did the Mavs a solid by missing both free thows.
The Mavs took their last time out, and Luka threw up a desperate prayer on a one-handed, stumbling, wrong-footed, falling-down floater out of a double team that slipped through the nylon for a three-point winner! What a thrill!!!!
STATISTICS
The Mavericks put up one shot fewer than the Grizz, and had 4 fewer free-throw attempts, but hoisted 6 more 3PTAs than the home team. Although Dallas did not hit well from range (32%), the greater number of attempts enabled them to even the score beyond the arc. Point differentials were +4 on points from twos, a push on points from threes, and -3 in made free throws. The Mavs had a 19-7 disadvantage in fast-break points, but had some good decisions and a big helping of good luck in the last few minutes. The clutch unit consisted of the starters, but with Brunson in for Richardson. A last shot, the likes of which we may never see again, put the cherry on top for Dallas.
PLAYERS
DONCIC. Luka was Man of the Match, with 20 points and 9 assists. Carlisle remarked after the contest that his superstar was not even having a particular good game, going 3-10 from deep and 6-9 from three, and committing three turnovers. Of course, the famous last shot was the highlight of the game, drawing awe-inspired praise from hither and yon, including a number of NBA celebrities. After the game, the ever-humble youngster said he was “kinda lucky” that the game-winning shot had gone in, and thought he probably didn't deserve the Defensive Player of the Game award, but “will take it.” What an incredible player!!
Fans who have been following Luka’s technical foul saga will be relieved to hear that the NBA has rescinded a T he received for shouting “and-one” after a layup against the Knicks, reducing his total for the season to 11.
PORZINGIS. KP showed out well in this game, with 21 points and 6 rebounds. He scored in a variety of ways, and fought hard on the glass. Called for his third foul in the second quarter, he successfully avoided foul trouble in the second half, committing only one in last twenty-four. This was about as energetic as I have seen Kris, and he seemed to be relishing the big-man battle with Valanciunas.
POWELL. Dwight had a very good night, with 12 points and 8 boards in 15 minutes, and boasted a 6-7 shooting evening. He looked to have most of his hops back, with several dunks and a pretty shot over JV in the second. Would be fabulous if he can bring his vertical game back going forward, even if it's only for 15-20 minutes a night.
STARTERS. Maxi almost shot his team out of the game, going 3-11, but had 8 rebounds in a team-high 37 minutes, and we have seen proof lately of how important he is on the defensive end. Doe-Doe had 7 points and 6 rebounds in a relaxing 29-minute night. It wasn’t the greatest of nights for J Rich, who recorded 9 points on 3-9 shooting and did not seem impactful defensively.
RESERVES. Brunson almost had a triple-double in a 28-minute sixth man role, with an 8/8/9 line. He had only 5 shots on the night, but completed 4 of them, and was in the closing unit. Hardaway was one of 4 Mavs in double figures, with 11, but was 1-5 from three. Redick got 15 minutes in a nine-man rotation, and hit three of his four 3PTAs for 9 points, He does appear to still be chipping the rust off, with 4 turnovers, three of the live-ball variety and one for stepping out of bounds.
GRIZZLIES. The Grizz put up an impressive fight and almost pulled off a victory. Grayson Allen torched the Mavs with 23 points, including six threes, but obligingly missed two critical free throws in the last minute. Jonas Valanciunas recorded 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 7-12 shooting, proving to be a formidable presence in the middle. Ja Morant had 17 points and 5 assists. His namesake at the Memphis Zoo, Ja Raffe, did not make an appearance at the arena. Dillon Brooks laid 15 on Dallas, but was held to 6-17 attempts. Desmond Bane had 11 points and 5 dimes off the bench.
OBSERVATIONS
Carlisle did not seem as happy in the post-game interview as his celebrating players, although he did rave about Luka’s last shot. He allowed that his squad could have had a better defensive game, but “Houdini” had provided a “joyous escape.” He admonished that a game-winning shot like that comes along once in a blue moon, and I had the distinct impression that he would have preferred that the Mavericks take home the victory in a less dramatic fashion. He warned that his team was very, very fortunate to have achieved the win, and compared Luka’s will, focus, and belief to various ichi-ban scorers he has known, such as Bird, LeBron, and Kobe, shamefully omitting Dirk from his list.
Your Dallas Mavericks can heave a sigh of relief after this one. Some criticisms could certainly be made, and surely would have been made in a loss, but tonight, we may as well just revel in a miraculous delivery from defeat, courtesy of our own Mr. Doncic.
The Knicks are next on the schedule.