WILD ENDING: Max Strus hits half-court shot at the buzzer to give Cleveland Cavaliers the win over Dallas Mavericks

This matchup between 2 of the hottest teams in the NBA did not disappoint as it went back and forth from the tipoff. Max Strus hit one of the craziest shots in NBA history, as he drained a halfcourt shot at the buzzer to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a 121-119 jaw-dropping victory over the Dallas Mavericks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

The Mavs were down by 1 with possession of the ball in the final seconds. Luka Doncic drove and found an open PJ Washington at the block, so he dished it to him and the former Hornet made a tough layup with 2.6 seconds remaining in the game. Then, that’s when the magic happened.

Max Struss inbounded the ball to Evan Mobley, who then gave it back to the former Miami Heat forward. With time ticking down, all that could be done was throw up a prayer, and that’s exactly what happened. The first-year Cavalier launched it from halfcourt and miraculously, the ball went in! Everyone in the arena was stunned, and rightfully so.

Fans jumped out of their seats and started roaring. Cleveland players were all chasing the hero and dogpiling him. It was quite a scene in the arena, as it looked like back in 2016 when the Cavs won the Finals with LeBron James. However, the Mavs players were just devastated and could not believe what they witnessed.

The hometown hero tonight finished with 21 points and 7 made threes, including the most important shot of the game. Donovan Mitchell had an outstanding performance, ending with 31 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. Jarrett Allen had 19 points and 9 rebounds while Evan Mobley recorded 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. Darius Garland struggled, scoring just 8 points on 20% shooting.

For Dallas, Luka Doncic played nearly a perfect game but it wasn’t enough. He ended with a game high 45 points, 9 rebounds, and 14 assists while hitting 6 triples. Kyrie Irving did his part, scoring 30 points and hitting 5 three pointers of his own. PJ Washington had 11 points including the near game-winner.

This win improves the Cavs to 38-19, which makes them 2nd in the Eastern Conference and 1.5 games above the Bucks. This win is huge, as Cleveland is fighting for the 2 seed to avoid Boston until the Conference Finals. They is 7-3 over their last 10 games and currently on a 2-game winning streak. Their next game will be tomorrow against the Chicago Bulls.

Meanwhile, this loss drops the Mavs to 33-25, which makes them 8th in the Western Conference and now 1 game behind the 6th seeded Pelicans for the last playoff spot. This loss is devastating, as Dallas is doing all they can to avoid the play-in tournament. They are 7-3 over their last 10 games and currently on a 2-game losing streak. Their next game will be tomorrow against the Toronto Raptors where they’ll look to bounce back from this heartbreaking defeat.