Luka Doncic can’t remember getting a look at the edge before he let the shot go. He was out of balance and stumbling when he split a few defenders from the Memphis Grizzlies after overtaking the incoming pass on the left wing by 1.8 seconds, releasing the runner of inches behind the 3-point line.
But Doncic sees it swing, and his momentum takes him into the lane when the ball splashes through the net, giving the Dallas Mavericks an incredibly unlikely 114-113 victory Wednesday at FedExForum.
“I was really surprised when it went in,” said Doncic, who celebrated the match-winner he called ‘kind of luck’ by walking calmly to the baseline before raising his hands in triumph and tampering with his Mavericks teammates. is. “These are the best feelings ever.”
Those moments quickly became part of the 22-year-old superstar’s story.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, it was the fourth three-pointer in the final five seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime in Doncic’s career, including the playoffs, that best surpassed the Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray. such shots since Doncic entered the league in 2018-19.
Doncic, whose fullback 3 won the Mavs’ playoff series over the LA Clippers last year at the buzzer last year, joins the Utah Jazz’s Bojan Bogdanovic as the only players in the NBA with multiple buzzers. over the past two seasons. (The match-winning 3 Doncic hit to beat the Boston Celtics on Feb. 23 is ineligible because there was a tenth of a second left on the clock.)
“Sometimes you’re going to get it right, but sometimes you’re going to miss it too,” said Doncic, who is 10-out of 25 on potential draws or running shots in the final 30 seconds of a game in his career, a success rate of 40% which can compare favorably with the career totals of the league’s most productive clutch 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 it too. I think that’s the most important part. If my team trusts me at that moment, I’ll work on it.”
It took a small miracle for Doncic to even have a chance to secure a win for Dallas. After Doncic missed a free throw with 3.2 seconds left, Grizzlies shooter Grayson Allen grabbed the rebound and conceded a second later, with the Mavs trailing by two points.
Allen, who entered the game as a freelancer of 90.6%, was able to secure the victory by making both shots. But he missed both and offered the stage to Doncic to deliver a miracle.
“In situations like this, you win a game like once in a blue moon,” said Mavs coach Rick Carlisle, whose team improved to 30-24, a game behind the Portland Trail Blazers for sixth place in West Conference. . “It just does not happen often. Luke made one of the special signatures you will see for a long time to come.
‘It’s one of those happy nights we escaped. We had Houdini. He got us alive from here. ‘
However, Carlisle said he “expected” Doncic to make such a shot, as well as the other Mavs who were available during the media availability. Their confidence does not just come from Doncic’s record during matches. They saw him hit numerous shots with a high degree of difficulty during the exercises and shooting incidents, many just when he was scratching around.
Doncic, for example, warmed up a few hours before the loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, conjuring the ball in football style until he was a few feet in front of the tunnel on the corner of the American Airlines Center. He grabs the ball with his hands and shoots it, swinging it from about 40 feet away – and behind the backboard – a trick shot that went viral after being caught by ESPN’s cameras.
A stumbling three-pointer from one foot was therefore not a shock, not even with a game against eighth place on the Grizzlies.
“Look here. That’s what I think,” Mavs center Dwight Powell said. “I have full confidence that it will at least have a chance, but I put my money into it.”
Carlisle said he learned not to bet against Doncic in any circumstances that shot up, saying he “lost thousands of dollars” from betting on a halfway point.
‘Once in Mexico City [his] second year I paid him off in pesos because I was so pissed about it, “Carlisle said laughing.” I’m not betting with him anymore because I saw him do everything. I saw him call some of the half court swishs I saw him kick the ball in from 40 yards out. Every time we practice and he sits at a table that is tucked out from behind the basket and he says, ‘Hey coach, if I take a chance, this is practice. past?’ I always look at him like, ‘Forget it, no,’ because he’s going to take a chance, he’s going to make it somehow.
“He’s just a very, very special and unique man when it comes to these kinds of things. He sees angles and possibilities and has a belief system that very few of us can fathom. Quite amazing things.”