DeRozan hits winner, lifts Spurs over Mavericks
DeMar DeRozan #10 of the San Antonio Spurs celebrates after hitting the game-winning shot against the Dallas Mavericks in the final second of the game at American Airlines Center on April 11, 2021 in Dallas, Texas. Tom Pennington/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by TOM PENNINGTON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
DeMar DeRozan scored 33 points, including the deciding jumper with one second to play, to lift the visiting San Antonio Spurs to a 119-117 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday that snapped a five-game losing streak.
After a back-and-forth three-and-a-half quarters, the Spurs used a 9-0 run capped by DeRozan’s three-point play to assume a 113-104 lead with 3:22 remaining. Two putback layups by Dorian Finney-Smith allowed Dallas to get to within 114-113 before a three-point play by DeRozan with 1:14 to play pushed the lead back to four points.
Article continues after this advertisementA pair of free throws and then a running jumper by Dallas’ Luka Doncic tied the game at 117 with 19.4 seconds remaining. The Spurs called a timeout and set up a play for DeRozan, who dribbled the ball on the perimeter before rising up over Finney-Smith to hit the game winner.
33 points, 8 assists and the GAME-WINNER for @DeMar_DeRozan with 0.5 left! #GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/sXatSDQs43
— NBA (@NBA) April 12, 2021
Dejounte Murray added 25 points for the Spurs, with Lonnie Walker IV scoring 13 and Jakob Poeltl hitting for 12 points for San Antonio, which played the first of a road back-to-back that continues on Orlando on Monday.
Article continues after this advertisementKristaps Porzingis scored 31 points and took 15 rebounds for Dallas before fouling out with 1:14 to play. Doncic added 29 points, Josh Richardson scored 16, and Jalen Brunson hit for 11 points for the Mavericks, who have lost two of their past three.
The Mavericks were slow out of the gate, falling behind 24-17 before forging a 9-2 run that left the game tied at 26 at the end of the first quarter. Porzingis had 13 points in the period while Murray led the Spurs with 9 points.
Dallas built as much as a nine-point lead on a Porzingis dunk with 3:07 to play in the second quarter, before settling for a 56-51 advantage at the half.
Porzingis racked up a double-double, with 20 points and 10 rebounds, in 18:32 of court time in the first half to lead the Mavericks. Doncic pitched in 13 points in the half for Dallas.
Murray paced San Antonio with 13 points at the break.
