Luka Doncic hit a leaning, lunging three-pointer as time expired to give the Dallas Mavericks a 114-113 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.
Doncic ended the night with 29 points, while Kristaps Porzingis added 21 points. Dwight Powell had 12 points, shooting six of seven from the field.
But it was Doncic’s winning shot, falling down just beyond the three-point line, that sent the Mavericks sprinting down the court as Doncic raised his arms and smiled. Officials reviewed the play, confirming the three-pointer for Dallas’ win rather than sending the game to overtime.
“Honestly, I don’t remember,” Doncic said when asked if he got a good look at the rim. “I was kind of falling down. It’s kind of lucky, but we’ll take it.”
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle could only express amazement at the ending of a game that was close between two teams jockeying for postseason positioning.
“It certainly was quite a game,” Carlisle said. “A lot of ups and downs. The last play was amazing. You look at the last minute or so. In those situations, you pull off a miracle in a game like that once in a blue moon. It just doesn’t happen very often.”
Grayson Allen led the Grizzlies with 23 points, including matching his career-best with six three-pointers. But the 90.6% free throw shooter missed a pair of foul shots with 2.2 second left, setting the stage for Doncic’s winning basket.
“It came down to one great shot at the end by him,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said.