Max Strus hit a 60-footer and his fifth 3-pointer with four minutes left to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a 121-119 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.
After the Mavericks took the lead on P.J. Washington's dunk with 2.9 seconds left, the Cavs immediately inbounded the ball to Evan Mobley and passed it back to Strus. Strus made four threes in the final 67 seconds to keep Cleveland close.
Strus then dribbled and fired a shot from well over mid-court, officially listed at 59 feet. As it skimmed the net, the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse crowd erupted and Strus was tackled to the floor by a teammate.
Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points, Strass added 21 points and Jarrett Allen added 19 points for the Cavs, who improved to 12-3 since Jan. 26.
Luka Doncic was scoring 45 points and dishing out 14 assists a day for the Mavericks before he turned 25. Kyrie Irving added 30 points for Dallas, which lost for the second time in 10 games.
Doncic added nine rebounds, moving him one step closer to his 11th triple-double.
Doncic's 3-pointer gave Dallas 10 straight points and led 108-98 with 4:38 remaining.
The Mavericks still held a double-digit lead when Strass got going, hitting four 3-pointers in just over a minute to pull the Cavs within 113-112.
Doncic's appearances in Cleveland always draw dozens of fans from the city's Slovenian community. After finishing his pregame warm-ups, Doncic entered the stands and posed for autographs and photos.
The Cavaliers' offense got off to a slow start, but they made 7 of 9 3-point shots and opened the second quarter with a 56-41 lead.
However, after a Dallas timeout, Doncic was substituted. The All-Star made three threes, dropped two free throws and made a step-back three in a span of 1 minute, 26 seconds to give him 14 points in the final 2 minutes, 57 seconds, leading the Mavs by halftime. They pulled within 60-56.
It was Irving's first visit since being traded from Brooklyn to Dallas, and he received warm applause during player introductions, and again when the Cavaliers played a video tribute to Irving during a timeout in the first quarter. I received it.
Irving waved to the crowd and made a heart shape with his hands to show his gratitude.
The volatile guard has a complicated relationship with Cleveland fans. Some are loyal and will never forget his contributions to the Cavs' title win in 2016, while others are bitter about Irving's request for a trade.
He's been in Dallas for nearly a year, and Mavericks coach Jason Kidd raved about how Irving fit in after leaving the Nets.
“He's at peace,” Kidd said. “He's enjoying the city of Dallas. He's having fun with his teammates and he's playing at a high level.”
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Mavericks: At Toronto on Wednesday.
Cavaliers: At Chicago on Wednesday.
