The Dallas Mavericks‘ hearts were ripped out of their chests by a Max Strus buzzer-beater that handed the Cleveland Cavaliers the victory, despite Luka Doncic posting the best stat line in NBA history.
Tuesday night, the Dallas Mavericks watched in dismay as Max Strus gave the Cleveland Cavaliers a 121-119 victory with a 59-foot heave from beyond half court, which is the second-longest game-winning shot in NBA history.
Luka Doncic was fantastic in front of a sizable Slovenian audience, scoring 45 points on 17-29 shooting, grabbing nine rebounds, dishing out 14 assists, and committing just one turnover.
Luka Doncic talks about defeat and accepting responsibility
Even though Doncic had a huge game, Strus’ heroics for Cleveland stole the show, and the four-time All-NBA First Teamer accepted responsibility for the way that game’s final shot turned out. Doncic said,
“Incredible shot. I have nothing much to say. Max hurt us in the 4th quarter a lot, but that was an incredible shot, man,” “That was my fault. I should have pressed up more. I was the first one, so that was my bad.”
WHAT A SHOT!
Max Strus wins it in Cleveland with a HALFCOURT SHOT at the buzzer 🚨 #TissotBuzzerBeater #YourTimeDefinesYourGreatness pic.twitter.com/EPtvANMNhr
— NBA (@NBA) February 28, 2024
Doncic’s acceptance of responsibility for the Mavs’ defeat is commendable, but it’s also a little unfair. His 44 points and 14 assists were the primary reasons Dallas managed to avoid being blown out in the game last night. He also set up the play that allowed P.J. Washington to make the game-winning layup with 2.6 seconds left before the unthinkable happened.
On Tuesday, Strus defeated the Mavs in that area, proving that sometimes it’s better to be a little luckier than good. On Wednesday, Dallas takes on the Toronto Raptors in the second night of a back-to-back.