Kyrie Irving called game on Sunday afternoon.
Irving hit a wild left-handed floater from the free throw line at the buzzer to lift the Dallas Mavericks to a 107-105 win over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. Naturally, that sparked a huge celebration at the American Airlines Center.
“Hell of a shot by Kyrie. Give him all the credit,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said, . “Yeah, if a guy’s gonna beat us making a left-handed, off-handed hook shot from the elbow, yes I did [like our defense].”
The bucket came after Mavericks star Luka Dončić tied the game up with a deep 3-pointer from well behind the arc in the middle of the floor.
The Mavericks were right with the Nuggets for most of the game, but they pushed ahead briefly in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets finally retook the lead with just less than 30 seconds left on a huge 14-2 run, eight points of which belonged to Jamal Murray. That, though, is when Dončić hit his deep 3-pointer to tie the game. Then, after Murray missed a 14-footer on the other end, Irving made his shot and lifted the Mavericks to the two-point victory.
Murray led the Nuggets with 23 points and seven assists. Michael Porter Jr. finished with 20 points and seven rebounds, and Nikola Jokic added with 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. The Nuggets, who had won five straight coming into Sunday’s game, now hold a 47-21 record.
Dončić led the Mavericks with 37 points, nine rebounds and three assists in the win. Irving finished with 24 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Dereck Lively II was the only other player to hit double figures, as he added 14 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
The Mavericks, who have won five of their last six games, now hold a 39-29 record. That has them in seventh in the Western Conference standings, just barely behind the Sacramento Kings.
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