Strus nets buzzer-beater as Cavs sink Mavs
LOS ANGELES, California: Max Strus drained an astonishing 58-foot buzzer-beater as the Cleveland Cavaliers conjured a stunning late fightback to sink the Dallas Mavericks, 121-119, on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).
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.
Strus’ miraculous effort was the final act of a thrilling fourthquarter 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 two minutes and 35 seconds remaining.
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 layup.
That set the stage for Strus to unfurl his game-winning threequarter-court effort to spark pandemonium among the home crowd in Cleveland.
“That was awesome,” Strus said afterward. “Great win, we needed it. We’ve been struggling, so it’s good to get one like that.
“We fought, and fought and fought ... we want to win every game, and we want to keep winning.”
Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff praised Strus’ role in sparking the late rally when it looked as if the game had slipped away.
“The way that he plays the game with a determination, a never-givein mentality and attitude — that inspires his teammates every single day,” Bickerstaff 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 scoring 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 with a 38-19 record.
Doncic, meanwhile, topped Dallas’ scorers with 45 points, adding 14 assists, nine rebounds and three steals. Irving finished with 30 points as Dallas dropped to 33-25, eighth in the Western Conference.
In another game, the leagueleading Boston Celtics extended their winning streak to nine games after a 117-99 defeat of the Philadelphia 76ers.
In Minnesota, Anthony Edwards’ 34-point total helped the Timberwolves to 114-105 win against the struggling San Antonio Spurs.
Minnesota leads the Western Conference standings, 41-17.
In Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 24 points while Damian Lillard added 23 as the Bucks romped to a 123-85 rout of the Charlotte Hornets.