Key Takeaways
- Kyrie Irving drained an incredible game-winner for the Dallas Mavericks to take down the defending champion Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
- Luka Doncic was in disbelief at Irving’s clutch shot and praised his co-star’s unbelievable talent.
- Doncic shined with 37 points and nine rebounds while making a few clutch baskets down the stretch for the Mavs.
Kyrie Irving had the most impressive game-winner of the 2023-24 NBA season on Sunday night.
With the game tied at 105, the Dallas Mavericks star curled off the right wing and found his spot at the right-hand side of the top of the key. With Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic draped all over his right side, the right-handed Irving called game with an insane left-handed floater/hook shot to beat the buzzer.
Irving certainly knows a thing or two about clutch baskets. He made perhaps one of the most clutch shots in NBA Finals history when his go-ahead three-pointer sealed the Cleveland Cavaliers’ historic 2016 NBA championship victory.
While this didn’t happen in the same type of atmosphere as his title-clinching shot, Irving’s most recent game-winner has to go down as one of the greatest buzzer-beaters of all-time. The degree of difficulty alone adds to how incredible the shot was, but making it over Jokic adds another level of difficulty.
Doncic’s Reaction to Irving’s ‘Unbelievable’ Game-Winner
Doncic became one with the fans after witnessing Irving’s shot
As soon as Irving sank the ridiculous floater, Luka Doncic instantly turned into a fan. The Slovenian superstar put his hands above his head and fell to his knees in disbelief while grinning from ear-to-ear after what he had just witnessed from his Mavericks co-star.
While Doncic is more than capable of sinking difficult-looking shots with ease like Irving did, he spoke about how “unbelievable” of a shot it was.
“Unbelievable man. I don’t think people realize how tough of a shot that is. With the off-hand, even to have a chance, that was … I don’t think people realize how tough that shot is.” — Luka Doncic
Doncic also said he’s never seen a shot that challenging before and that he doesn’t believe it’ll ever be witnessed again.
Irving’s game-winner, however, wouldn’t have happened without Doncic’s Herculean efforts throughout the evening. In fact, just 24 seconds prior, Doncic drained a 28-footer to tie the game at 105. The Nuggets failed their attempt to win the game and left 2.8 seconds on the clock for Irving to work his magic.
Doncic Staking His Claim for MVP
Mavericks star led the way with 37 points in victory over Nuggets
As much as the spotlight deservedly went to Irving, Doncic deserves his flowers as well for yet another spectacular performance. The Mavericks superstar led Dallas with 37 points and 10 rebounds while knocking down 5-of-11 three-point attempts.
| Superstar Duo Stats vs. Nuggets | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Luka Doncic | Kyrie Irving |
| Points | 37 | 24 |
| Rebounds | 9 | 7 |
| Assists | 3 | 9 |
| FG | 12-27 | 9-23 |
| 3P | 5-11 | 4-11 |
Dallas was in danger of letting this game slip away after Denver went on a furious rally down the stretch to erase a 13-point lead midway through the fourth quarter.
The Nuggets took the lead after Jamal Murray drained a three-pointer with 26.8 seconds left before Doncic answered just seconds later to tie the game.
The Mavericks star tandem actually did not have a great shooting night, as they combined to go just 21-of-50 from the field. But in the end, they both came up huge in the clutch to get Dallas its fifth win in six games.
The win keeps the Mavericks in step with the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns, all of whom are vigorously vying for the 6th and final outright playoff berth in the Western Conference. Dallas looks to keep its recent strong play going as Doncic, Irving, and company visit Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday.
Bobby Portis Shuts up ‘Naysayers’ as Bucks Blaze Past Phoenix Suns
Bobby Portis Jr. lit up the court off the bench with 31 points, leading to the Milwaukee Bucks to a victory over the Phoenix Suns, 140-129.
