Doncic Buzzer-Beating Prayer Answered as Mavs Sink Grizzlies, 114-113

Luka Doncic's three-point prayer at the buzzer was answered, and the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Memphis Grizzlies to gain even more ground on the 6-seed in the Western Conference.

Dalton Trigg | Apr 15, 2021

The Dallas Mavericks went into Memphis on Wednesday night hoping to stop a two-game skid. With the help of their two stars, the Mavs did just that, as Luka Doncic put only his magic hat yet again and nailed an off-balance three-point prayer at the buzzer to give Dallas the 114-113 win.

“I was really surprised when it went in,” Luka said. “Those are the best feelings ever.”

Out of all the Doncic buzzer-beaters we've seen in his young career, this one was likely the craziest, as he leaned into in on one foot and threw it up as if it was a routine floater in the paint.

Make no mistake, the Mavs got out-worked by the Grizzlies for the majority of this game, and they were dangerously close to losing their third consecutive game after missing many wide-open shots and having a handful of careless turnovers. But Doncic, more times than not, acts as the 'Great Eraser' of mistakes for this team. He's just simply that good.

Can you imagine what Doncic will be able to do if the front office is able to provide him with more high-level talent this offseason?

Doncic, who was fantastic in the second half of this one (and also won the Defensive Belt), finished the game with 29 points on 10-of-20 shooting to go with nine assists and five rebounds. His co-star, Kristaps Porzingis, finished with 21 points and six rebounds while shooting 7-of-13 from the field and playing excellent defense for most of the night as well. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dwight Powell were the only other Mavericks to score in double-figures.

Speaking of Powell, he won't get the praise and the headlines that Doncic will, but he arguably had one of his best games of the season in Memphis. Powell finished with 12 points and eight rebounds in just 15 minutes of action. He shot 6-of-7 from the field, and grabbed the biggest rebound of the game, as Grayson Allen missed both free throws with 1.8 seconds remaining. Powell out-fought Jonas Valanciunas for a one-handed board that eventually led to the 'Luka Magic' we all witnessed at the end.

The Mavs, now 30-23 on the season and closing in on the Portland Trail Blazers for the sixth seed in the West, will now travel back to Dallas and look ahead to Friday night's game against the New York Knicks. Two weeks ago, Dallas won a 99-86 defensive struggle on the road.

What Luka Magic awaits?

“This is one of those joyous nights where we escaped,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “We had Houdini. And he got us out of here alive.”

CONTINUE READING: No Answer For Embiid: Mavs Lose Blowout To 76ers, 113-95

Published Apr 15, 2021

DALTON TRIGG

Dalton Trigg is the Editor-In-Chief for Dallas Basketball, as well as the Executive Editor overseeing Inside The Rockets, Inside The Spurs, All Knicks, and The Magic Insider. He is the founder and host for the Mavs Step Back Podcast, which is a proud part of the Blue Wire podcast network. Trigg graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business and Economic Development with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship in 2016. After spending a few years with multiple Dallas Mavericks-related blogs, including SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball, Trigg joined DallasBasketball.com as a staff writer in 2018 and never looked back. At the start of 2022, he was promoted to the EIC title he holds now. Through the years, Trigg has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Mavs GM Nico Harrison, now-retired legend Dirk Nowitzki and many other current/former players and team staffers. Many of those interviews and other articles by Trigg have been aggregated by other well-known sports media websites, such as Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and others. You can find Trigg on all major social media channels, but his most prevalent platform is on Twitter. Whether it’s posting links to his DBcom work, live-tweeting Mavs games or merely giving his opinions on things going on with Dallas and the rest of the NBA, the daily content never stops rolling. For any inquiries, please email Dalton@MavsStepBack.com.