Luka Doncic did what he could, but he couldn’t stop Cleveland’s momentum. Max Strus makes the game-winning shot in the last second!

Luka Doncic, the top scorer of this season, showed his shooting form once again, breaking the 40-point mark for the 41st time in his career. The Cavaliers, however, decided the game with a long-range shot from half-court in the last second of the game.

Doncic again excelled shooting

In the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Dallas Mavericks (121:119), Luka Doncic, the best scorer of this season, shone again. He scored 45 points for the Cavaliers this time and this is the 41st time in his career that he has surpassed the 40-point mark.

The Slovenian also consolidated his lead in the scoring charts with 34.5 points per game. He is currently 3.3 points per game ahead of second-ranked Shai Gilgeous – Alexander of Oklahoma. Moreover, Doncic was still attacking the triple-double mark as he also recorded 14 assists to his teammates and recorded 9 rebounds under the basket.

He was complemented in his great performance by the team’s second star Kyrie Irving, who added another 30 points. Both players contributed to a full 75 points for their team. However, it didn’t result in a victory. The Cavaliers’ top scorer was traditionally Donovan Mitchell with 31 points.

Cleveland recorded its 38th win of the season

But the biggest star of the game was Max Strus from Cleveland. He made his seventh three of the game from 18 meters with just one second left! It was the shot of his life, turning the score to the final (121:119) for the home team.

Strus only scored from three-point range in the whole game. In total, he made 12 shot attempts, seven of which were successful, and scored 21 points in nearly 26 minutes on the floor.

In addition, since the 1979/80 season when three-point shots began to count, this is the second longest winning shot from just inside the three-point line. According to the data, he posted the winning shot from 59 feet. Only one player in NBA history has made a winning shot from a longer distance.

Devonte Graham did it relatively recently, specifically on December 15, 2021, when he was the deciding factor in the New Orleans Pelicans’ victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. He made his shot from 61 feet out. Strus spoiled the mood of the great Doncic.

Cleveland recorded its 38th win of the season and clinched second place in the Western Conference. Dallas dropped to eighth place in the Eastern Conference with the defeat. Behind them, Golden State and the Los Angeles Lakers are lurking. Especially the Lakers with LeBron James are only two wins behind the Mavericks.

Source: NBA