Luka Doncic does not remember having lived the edge before releasing the shot. He was unbalanced, tripping over the split of a pair of Memphis Grizzlies defenders after taking the pass to the left wing with 1.8 seconds to go to free the inch runner behind the line. 3 points.
But Doncic saw it accelerate, his momentum taking him into the lane as the ball bounced off the net and gave the Dallas Mavericks an incredibly unlikely 114-113 victory Wednesday at the FedExForum.
“I was really surprised when he came in,” said Doncic, who celebrated the game’s winner who he called “a little lucky” by walking quietly to the baseline before raising his hands triumphantly and being docked by the companions of his Mavericks. “These are the best feelings in history.”
Such moments have quickly become part of the 22-year-old superstar tradition.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, this was the fourth 3-point tie in the final five seconds of the fourth quarter or the overtime of Doncic’s career, including the playoffs, beating Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets shots since Doncic entered the league in 2018-19.
Doncic, whose third step won the fourth game of the Mavs first-round playoff series over the LA Clippers last year, joins Bojan Bogdanovic of the Utah Jazz as the only NBA player with multiple game winners. during the last two seasons. (Doncic’s 3-game winning streak to beat the Boston Celtics on Feb. 23 doesn’t qualify because he was one tenth of a second behind the clock).
“Sometimes you’ll get it, but sometimes you’ll miss it too,” said Doncic, who has 10 of 25 in possible draws or shots forward in the last 30 seconds of a game in his career, a success rate 40% which compares favorably with the career totals of the league’s most prolific stars, such as LeBron James (57 of 178, 32%), Kevin Durant (43 of 143, 30%) and Lillard (37 of 106, 35%).
“You have to take that, too. I think it’s the most important part. If my team trusts me right now, I’ll keep working on it.”
Doncic needed a minor miracle to even have a chance to get a win for Dallas. After Doncic missed a free throw with 3.2 seconds left, Grizzlies’ shot, Grayson Allen, caught the rebound and was fouled a second later, with the Mavs two points clear.
Allen, who came into the game as a 90.6% free throw thrower, could have sealed the victory by making both shots. But he missed both of them, setting the stage for Doncic to deliver a miracle.
“In these situations, you get a win in a game like this once on the blue moon,” said Mavs coach Rick Carlisle, whose team improved to 30-24, a game behind the Portland Trail Blazers to get sixth place in the Western Conference. . “It just doesn’t happen very often. Luka did one of the special features of the firm, which you’ll see for a long time.
“This is one of those happy nights where we escaped. We had Houdini. He got us alive from here.”
However, Carlisle said he “expects” Doncic to make such shots, just as the other Mavs made available during post-game media availability. His confidence does not come only from Doncic’s career during the matches. He has been seen hitting countless high-difficulty shots during practice and shooting, many just as he is playing.
For example, after warming up a couple of hours before Monday’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, Doncic juggled the football style of the ball until he was a few feet in front of the tunnel on the corner of the Philadelphia. American Airlines Center. He grabbed the ball with his hands and fired it, sucking it from about 40 feet away, and behind the board, a shot that went viral after being captured by ESPN cameras.
So a three-point stumble of one foot wasn’t a shock, even with a game against the eighth-ranked Grizzlies in play.
“Look at this. That’s what I’m thinking,” Mavs center Dwight Powell said. “I have full faith that at least he will have a chance, but I put my money into it.”
Carlisle said he learned not to bet on Doncic under any shooting circumstances, and claimed he “lost thousands of dollars” against Doncic off the mid-track shooting bets.
“Once in Mexico City [his] the second year I paid him in pesos because he was very angry about it, “Carlisle said, laughing.” I don’t bet on it anymore, because I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen him calling tricks from half court. I’ve seen him kick the ball from 40 feet. Every time we go into practice and he is sitting on a table lying behind the basket and he says, “Hey coach, if I do a shot, is the practice over?” I always look at him like, “Forget it, no way,” because he’ll make the shot. He’s going to make the shot somehow.
“He’s just a very, very special and unique guy when it comes to that kind of thing. He sees angles and possibilities and he has a belief system that very few of us can understand. Quite amazing things.”