Luka Doncic drops 49, hits clutch shots as Mavs top Nets

Luka Doncic capped a 49-point performance by hitting a tie-breaking three-pointer with 26.1 seconds left as the host Dallas Mavericks executed down the stretch of a 125-120 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, October 27 (Saturday, October 28, Manila time).

Doncic hit four of his nine three-pointers in the final 2:59 and scored 14 of the Mavericks’ final 17 points, including a brilliant sequence to snap a 120-120 deadlock.

With Brooklyn’s Royce O’Neale draped on him in front of the Dallas bench, Doncic got a return feed from Maxi Kleber. Doncic then banked in an off-balance three-pointer over O’Neale right before the shot clock expired.

After Doncic’s dramatic shot, Brooklyn’s Cam Thomas missed a three with 15.1 seconds left and Josh Green iced it at the line for Dallas three seconds later.

Doncic shot 16-of-25 and made 9-of-14 three-pointers. The guard also added 10 rebounds and 7 assists.

Tim Hardaway Jr. added 19 points and Kyrie Irving contributed 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists in his first game against the Nets since being traded from Brooklyn at last February’s deadline.

Thomas moved into the starting lineup in place of Cameron Johnson (bruised left calf) and led the Nets with 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting. Former Maverick Spencer Dinwiddie received a warm reception from the crowd and added 23 points while making six of Brooklyn’s 21 three-pointers.

Mikal Bridges contributed 18 points as the Nets blew a late lead for the second straight game, two nights after coughing up a six-point edge late in the fourth quarter against Cleveland.

A basket by Dinwiddie put Brooklyn up 106-99 with 7:59 remaining. Dallas scored 9 straight to take a 108-106 lead on Dwight Powell’s three-pointer nearly two minutes later. The Nets responded to Dallas’ push by getting consecutive threes from O’Neale and Dorian Finney-Smith, whose shot occurred after Ben Simmons blocked a three-point try by Josh Green.

Doncic hit two threes in 50 seconds to get Dallas within 118-116 at the 2:09 mark. After a Brooklyn shot clock violation, Doncic hit another three over Bridges for a 119-118 lead with 1:26 left, but Thomas hit a jumper for a 120-120 tie with 50.1 seconds left.

The Nets held a 79-72 lead on a dunk by Thomas with 4 1/2 minutes left in the third but could not expand it. Brooklyn settled for an 89-88 lead going into the fourth when Hardaway made three free throws with two-tenths of a second left after being fouled by Thomas. – Rappler.com