Mavs force OT on late Dirk tip-in, handle Blazers in extra period
The Dallas Mavericks have been a happy surprise in a Western Conference full of disappointments so far this season. After the front office together 2010’s idea of a contender in the wake of the DeAndre Jordan debacle, Dirk Nowitzki, Rick Carlisle, and the gang looked set to endure another season of irrelevance. Instead, the Mavs entered Tuesday’s road matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers in the middle of the playoff picture.
[Follow Dunks Don’t Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball]
The final minutes of the Blazers game displayed much of what makes the Mavericks a fun and peculiar squad. Trailing 89-79 on the cusp of the last five minutes of regulation, the Mavs got consecutive threes from ex-Blazer Wesley Matthews (who, remember, is the only person who thought he’d be playing this early in the season) to get back in the contest. Yet the Blazers built their lead back up to 96-89 with just 1:30 left on the clock and looked in control.
That’s when the more experienced Mavericks took control. A possession with several offensive rebounds led to a Matthews putback, after which Nowitzki nailed a three-pointer to cut the lead to just 96-94. Deron Williams blocked a Damian Lillard attempt on the following possession, which allowed the Mavs to run this play to take the lead or tie:
Your eyes do not deceive — this is a possession from December 2015 that shows Charlie Villanueva taking a potential game-winning shot. It says something that this attempt is several orders of magnitude weirder than the sight of the 37-year-old Dirk Nowitzki finishing a tip-in with a vertical leap of maybe three inches.
Lillard missed a tough three on the last possession of regulation to confirm overtime, and the Blazers didn’t really have a chance after that. Williams scored nine points in the extra period to lead Dallas to 115-112 win that looks closer than it was because of a last-second Lillard three-pointer.
It was all impressive enough to make most people forget about this embarrassing moment for Dirk as he tried to guard C.J. McCollum late in the second quarter:
Nowitzki put up 28 points on 11-of-24 shooting with seven rebounds and six assists, but it was Williams who impressed most with 30 points (11-of-17 FG) and eight assists in a game-high 45 minutes. Considered a dead-weight contract in Brooklyn, the former All-Star has looked refreshed with his hometown team. Matthews added 18 points on 5-of-11 shooting in his first game back in Portland, where he received an ovation upon his introduction.
The Mavs aren’t a thrill-a-minute team like some others, but they’re pretty darn entertaining for a group that looks vaguely like a five-year-old fantasy team. Give them a look the next time you’re so inclined.
– – – – – – –
Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
