The Dallas Mavericks officially eliminated their I-45 rival Houston Rockets from postseason contention on Sunday afternoon, improving their record to 48-30 with an exciting 147-136 overtime victory. did.
Trailing by three points with eight seconds left, Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. advanced to the free throw line for Houston to potentially decide the game. But despite shooting 83 percent from free throws, Smith missed two shots, which led to Mavs guard Dante Exum making a clutch 3-pointer as time expired to tie the game at 129-129. The game went into overtime.
Dallas then defeated Houston 18-7 in overtime, winning 147-136. Luka Doncic had 37 points, nine rebounds and 12 assists on 12-21 from the field and 4-10 from deep. Kyrie Irving led the Mavs with 48 points and seven rebounds, shooting 15-for-25 from the field and 15-for-17 from the free throw line.
April 7, 2024. Dallas, Texas, USA.Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrates after scoring a goal.
Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports
In one scene in overtime, Doncic showed why he truly deserves to be the MVP. On offense, Doncic split up two defenders and moved into the paint with three defenders surrounding him. He managed to pass the ball to corner PJ Washington, who made a clutch 3-point shot. Then, on the Rockets' final leg defensively, Doncic blocked Smith's 3-point shot, effectively ending the game.
The win puts the Mavs two games ahead of the fifth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference standings with four regular-season games remaining. Dallas holds tiebreakers against Phoenix and New Orleans, so a two-game lead effectively becomes a three-game lead.
