On Saturday night, Luka Dončić was the hero for Dallas as his last-second three-pointer lifted the Mavericks past the Boston Celtics 107-104 at home.
With less than 10 seconds left to play and the score tied, Dončić took the ball over halfcourt, guarded by the Celtic’s Josh Richardson. As he got close to the 3-point line, it was apparent to everyone in the building that he would take the last shot.
The Celtics knew this, and two more defenders went towards Luka to try and force the pass, but it did not matter; Luka created space and fired what seemed like an improbable fadeaway three-pointer from the left side of the court over the three defenders. The incredible shot went in, and the American Airlines Arena erupted to celebrate the Mavericks victory and Luka’s magic.
“I think everyone knew the ball was going to 77, and he delivered,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said postgame. “He loves that moment, his teammates know that, and I would say the opposing team knew the ball was going to Luka, and there was nothing they could do.”
Dončić’s game-winning shot brought him to 33 points on the night, tying his season-high. He made 12-of-21 shots, including 5-of-10 on three-pointers, and added nine rebounds and five assists.
The fact that the Mavericks needed a last-second shot was surprising. Early in the game, it appeared as though the Mavericks would run away with an easy victory. The Mavericks opened the game on fire while Boston struggled to score. Boston scored just 11 points in the first 10 minutes of action, and the Mavericks led 29-15 after the first quarter.
The Celtics’ offense finally woke up in the second quarter as they hit several tough shots, but their defense could not slow Dallas down. The Mavericks stayed ahead by double digits for most of the quarter and went into halftime, leading 57-40.
The third quarter was a different story for Dallas. At one point in the quarter, the Celtics went on a 21-5 run to get back into the game. The Mavericks played very ugly offensive basketball for the majority of the quarter, and by the start of the fourth, Boston had trimmed down their lead to just 79-72.
In the fourth, the Celtics continued to grind their way back, and with 4:30 remaining, they found themselves only trailing the Mavericks by two points. The Celtics continued to fight incredibly hard and, with 2:12 remaining, took their first lead of the game thanks to a Marcus Smart three-point shot.
The Mavericks were able to respond and tie the game. Then both defenses stepped up to prevent either team from scoring until the heroic last sequence from Luka.
This victory was the Mavericks’ third in their last four games and improved their record to 6-3 on the season. Kristaps Porzingis returned after missing five games due to an injury and had 21 points for the Mavericks. Jalen Brunson and Reggie Bullock each added 13 points off the bench.
For the Celtics, losing in this fashion was brutal after fighting back from a 17-point halftime deficit. Their record dropped to 4-6 on the season.
Jayson Tatum led Boston with 32 points and 11 rebounds, while Jaylen Brown, the team’s leading scorer, missed the game with an injury.
The Mavericks remained at home for their following game against the New Orleans Pelicans last night, November 8. They continued their winning streak with a 108-92 victory, bringing their season record to 7-3.
