Max Strus nets monster buzzer-beater as Cleveland Cavaliers sink Dallas Mavericks
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Max Strus of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots a half-court shot over Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks to win the game in the last second of the fourth quarter at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
PHOTO: AFP
CLEVELAND – The secret to winning even when you are down? Just keep fighting.
That was the message from Max Strus after he drained an astonishing 59-foot buzzer-beater as the Cleveland Cavaliers conjured a stunning late fightback to sink the Dallas Mavericks 121-119 in the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Feb 27.
In a remarkable finale in Cleveland, Strus unleashed a mammoth heave from inside his own half to snatch victory from Dallas, who had grabbed a 119-118 lead with just over two seconds remaining in the game.
His miraculous effort was the final act of a thrilling fourth-quarter rally by Cleveland, who trailed by 10 with under four minutes left after a superb 45-point performance from Mavs ace Luka Doncic.
Strus was the catalyst for the Cavs turnaround, reeling off four straight three-pointers to allow Cleveland to get within one at 113-112 with 2min 35sec left.
Back-to-back threes from Donovan Mitchell put Cleveland 118-115 up but Dallas hit back to regain a one-point lead after a Kyrie Irving jump shot and a P.J. Washington lay-up.
That set the stage for Strus to unleash his game-winning three-quarter-court effort to spark pandemonium among the home crowd.
“That was awesome,” he said. “Great win, we needed it.
“We’ve been struggling, so it’s good to get one like that. We fought, and fought, and fought.”
It was the Cavaliers’ second consecutive win after two straight losses.
Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff praised Strus’ role in sparking the late rally.
“The way that he plays the game with a determination, a never-give-in mentality and attitude – that inspires his teammates every single day,” he said.
“He’s just relentless and that elevates his teammates.
“Everybody leads in their own way on our team – he leads and people follow.”
Mitchell led Cleveland with 31 points, with Strus finishing with 21.
Jarrett Allen added 19 as the Cavaliers secured a win which leaves them second in the Eastern Conference, behind the Boston Celtics with a 38-19 record.
Doncic topped Dallas’ scorers and added 14 assists, nine rebounds and three steals. Irving finished with 30 points as the Mavericks dropped to 33-25, eighth in the Western Conference.
In other games, the league-leading Celtics (46-12) extended their winning streak to nine games after a 117-99 home victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Jaylen Brown (31 points), Jayson Tatum (29) and Kristaps Porzingis (23) led the way for Boston.
In Minnesota, Anthony Edwards’ 34 points helped the Timberwolves to a 114-105 win against the struggling San Antonio Spurs.
Minnesota lead the Western Conference standings on 41-17. AFP
