Mavericks, Nuggets Exchange Buzzer Beaters in Stunning Sequence (Video)

One buzzer-beater didn’t count. The other did. They happened on back-to-back plays in a bizarre sequence.
Mavericks, Nuggets Exchange Buzzer Beaters in Stunning Sequence (Video)
Mavericks, Nuggets Exchange Buzzer Beaters in Stunning Sequence (Video) /

On its face, it was just another early-season Western Conference matchup between the Mavericks and Nuggets.

And in a lot of ways, it was just that. The Nuggets beat the Mavericks, 98–97, in a compelling Sunday night tilt that came down to the final shot—a Luka Dončić miss to end the game.

But the storyline coming out of Sunday night’s tilt was a wild sequence at the end of the first half that fans may not see again for quite some time.

With time waning in the second quarter, Dončić hit an apparent three-pointer at the buzzer. The teams went into the locker room for halftime, but the play went under review. Officials ruled that the shot shouldn’t have counted because Dončić stepped out of bounds with two seconds to go in the half.

In a strange sequence, the teams came out of the locker room after halftime and had to re-play the final two seconds of the second quarter after halftime. As if those circumstances weren’t bizarre enough, the Nuggets retained possession and then did this:

Denver forward Vlatko Cancar hit a three-pointer from half court. This one, of course, counted and resulted in consecutive buzzer beaters on simultaneous plays, in the same quarter, separated by a halftime period.

We’re not sure fans will ever see anything quite like this again.

More NBA Coverage:

Dallas Basketball: Dawk-itch’? An Open Letter to ESPN ‘Experts’ on Mavs’ Luka Doncic 

For more Dallas Mavericks coverage, visit Dallas Basketball. 


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Mike McDaniel
MIKE MCDANIEL

Mike McDaniel is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where he has worked since January 2022. His work has been featured at InsideTheACC.com, SB Nation, FanSided and more. McDaniel hosts the Hokie Hangover Podcast, covering Virginia Tech athletics, as well as Basketball Conference: The ACC Football Podcast. Outside of work, he is a husband and father, and an avid golfer.