LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Luka Doncic stepped back for a winning 3-pointer – on a tender ankle, no less.
Another installation in Doncic’s ever-growing legend.
Doncic’s deep shot on the buzzer grabbed a triple double and the short-handed Dallas Mavericks beat the Los Angeles Clippers 135-133 in overtime Sunday to even out the playoff series on two games per piece.
Doncic finished with 43 points, 17 rebounds and 13 assists for his second straight triple-double.
“We know this kid has a flair for the dramatic,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. “He is a boy who lives for these moments.”
Thinking Doncic was a game-changer because of the left ankle he injured in Game 3. But once he stepped on the floor, he knew he was going to give it a go.
And once the crunch time hit, the ankle was not even a thought.
“One of the best feelings I’ve ever had as a player,” Doncic said of the winner. “Just something special.”
Marcus Morris hit a 3-pointer with about 9 seconds left in OT to give the Clippers the lead. It just set the stage for Doncic’s winner over Reggie Jackson. His teammates advised to congratulate him.
“Big-time players make big-time plays. He’s a big-time player,” said teammate Trey Burke. “He proved it already in this league.”
Doncic’s theaters helped the seventh-seeded Mavericks to their biggest playoff comeback win, with a 21-point, second-quarter deficit. Their previous best was 19 against the Spurs in San Antonio during Game 5 of the 2003 Western Conference Finals.
Dallas used a 16-0 run in the third to take the lead – and led by 12 points in the fourth before the Clippers rode.
Lou Williams tied it at 121 by hitting two of three free throws with 50.6 seconds in regulation. After Dallas failed to score on the next possession, the Clippers called a time-out to put up a play with 24.7 seconds left.
Kawhi Leonard’s 3-point shot with 0.2 seconds left was off the mark. The Mavericks failed to get a lob to big man Boban Marjanovic to send it to overtime.
“Bottom line is the last play the game has not lost for us,” said Clippers coach Doc Rivers. “It was our whole play from the second quarter.”
Doncic did not have a good day today, often losing his footing on the muddy pitch.
The 21-year-old Doncic injured his left ankle in the final game. He looked barely hindered, and went 18 of 31 off the floor. He often also tests the ankle with jump stops, pivots and an impressive Euro steps to get divorce.
Doncic got a kiss to start the fourth quarter. He was sitting on the bench while trainers were working on his ankle. He then jumped up and down the aisle and rode an exercise bike before returning with 8:33 left and the Mavericks leading 106-96.
The teams switched 3-pointer to 3-pointer in the stretch of the fourth, with the Clippers pulling to 119-117 on Leonard’s 3-pointer with 1:56 left. The play was set up when Jackson saved a ball from exiting his boundary at his end and threw it all the way to Leonard in the offensive end.
Williams scored 36 points from the bench for the second-seeded Clippers, and Leonard had 32. Paul George finished with nine points as his craving continued. He was 3 of 14 from the field and shot 29% in the series.
“If I were taking pictures, this series could be a little different,” George said. “That’s what it comes down to. Give her credit, they play well. Luka plays phenomenally.”
Before the match, Montrezl Harrell and Doncic exchanged a handshake and a hug when the patched things up. They each got a technical foul after getting into the game and were exchanged in Game 3.
“Sometimes you say things you don’t want to say,” Doncic said. “He apologizes. That’s no problem.”
TIP-INS
Clippers: Ivica Zubac had 15 points. … The Clippers hit 29 of 32 free throws.
Mavericks: A frustrated Doncic picked up a technical foul in the first quarter. … Burke finished with 25 points. … Seth Curry finished with 15 points on his 30th birthday.
SEE & HEARD
Although Clippers defender Patrick Beverley remains sidelined by an injury to his left calf, that does not mean he is not contributing.
His involvement is loud.
“Because he never closes,” cracked Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers. “He’s been great. He’s been really attentive in film.”
Rivers had no update on Beverley’s return to the floor.
KOBE remember
Rivers thought of the life of the late Kobe Bryant, who would have been 42 on Sunday. Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, were killed in a helicopter crash in January.
“He was a special boy. Of course, a great player. It was such a sad thing,” Rivers said. “I do not think we are all still recovering from this.”
FOLLOWING
Game 5 of the best-of-seven series is Tuesday.
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