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Kyrie Irving canceled the game on Sunday afternoon.
Irving hit a wild left-footed free throw from the free throw line at the buzzer to lift the Dallas Mavericks to a 107-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. Naturally, that sparked a huge celebration at the American Airlines Center.
“What a shot by Kyrie. Give him all the credit,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. . “Yeah, if a guy’s going to beat us by hooking left-handed and left-handed from the elbow, he did it (as our defense).”
The basket came after Mavericks star Luka Dončić tied the game with a deep 3-pointer from well behind the arc at midcourt.
The Mavericks trailed the Nuggets for most of the game, but briefly took the lead in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets finally regained the lead with just under 30 seconds left on a huge 14-2 run, eight points of which belonged to Jamal Murray. However, that was when Dončić hit his deep 3-pointer to tie the game. Then, after Murray missed a 14-footer at the other end, Irving scored and led the Mavericks to a two-point victory.
Murray led the Nuggets with 23 points and seven assists. Michael Porter Jr. finished with 20 points and seven rebounds, and Nikola Jokic added with 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. The Nuggets, who had won five straight entering Sunday’s game, now have a record of 47-21.
Dončić led the Mavericks with 37 points, nine rebounds and three assists in the victory. Irving finished with 24 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Dereck Lively II was the only other player to reach double figures, adding 14 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
The Mavericks, who have won five of their last six games, now have a record of 39-29. That puts them in seventh place in the Western Conference standings, just behind the Sacramento Kings.