Kyrie Irving called the game on Sunday afternoon.
Irving hit a wild left-handed floater from the free throw line at the buzzer to give the Dallas Mavericks a 107-105 win over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. Naturally, this led to a huge celebration at the American Airlines Center.
“Amazing shot of Kyrie. Give him all the credit,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. , “Yeah, if somebody was going to beat us with a left-handed, off-hand hook shot from the elbow, then yes I did (like our defense).”
The bucket came when Mavericks star Luka Doncic tied the game with a deep 3-pointer from behind the arc in the middle of the floor.
The Mavericks were right with the Nuggets for most of the game, but they pulled ahead briefly in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets eventually took the lead with a massive 14–2 run in less than 30 seconds, eight of which came from Jamal Murray. However, that was when Doncic hit his deep 3-pointer to tie the game. Then, when Murray missed a 14-footer at the other end, Irving hit his shot to give the Mavericks a 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 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. The Nuggets, who had won five in a row heading into Sunday’s game, now have a record of 47-21.
Doncic led the Mavericks in the win with 37 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Irving finished with 24 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Derek Lively II was the only other player to reach 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 record of 39–29. This leaves them seventh in the Western Conference standings, just behind the Sacramento Kings.
