Doncic’s triple-double helps Mavericks edge Wizards
FILE – Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks reacts against the New York Knicks in the fourth quarter at American Airlines Center on April 16, 2021 in Dallas, Texas. Tom Pennington/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by TOM PENNINGTON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Dorian Finney-Smith canned the deciding 3-pointer with 9.3 seconds left to play and Luka Doncic racked up his first triple-double since March 15 as the Dallas Mavericks outlasted the visiting Washington Wizards 125-124 on Saturday.
Dallas led by 12 points after one period and by five at the half before the Wizards leapfrogged to the front with a surge at the end of the third quarter. The game was tied at 122 after Doncic’s pullup jumper with 34.9 seconds to play.
Bradley Beal put Washington in front with a pair of free throws with 26.1 seconds remaining before Doncic found Finney-Smith in the corner for his huge 3-point shot. Beal then missed the potential game-winning 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds to play.
Doncic finished with 31 points, 20 assists and 12 rebounds in the win for Dallas (36-27). Finney-Smith added 22 points, Maxi Kleber hit for 17, Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 16 points and Dwight Powell had 11 for the Mavericks, who have won six of their past seven games.
Russell Westbrook tied his season-high with 42 points and took 10 rebounds for the Wizards in the loss, just the second defeat for Washington (29-35) in its past 12 games. Beal added 29 points, and Rui Hachimura scored 18 for the Wizards.
Luka and Russ DUELED in the @dallasmavs 125-124 win over Washington! 🔥
Luka: 31 PTS, 12 REB, 20 AST (career high)
Russ: 42 PTS, 10 REB, 9 AST pic.twitter.com/Z3lD0Klv8d— NBA (@NBA) May 2, 2021
The game was the second of a road back-to-back for the Wizards after a win on Friday in Cleveland.
The Mavericks led 38-26 after the first period and pushed their advantage to as many as 18 points on two occasions. Westbrook scored 18 points in the second period and helped Washington work its way back into the game, pulling to within 70-65 at halftime.
Westbrook paced all scorers in the half with 23 points while Beal added 17 points over the first 24 minutes. Doncic led Dallas with 20 points and 11 assists in the first half, with Kleber adding 17, with the majority of those points coming on his five 3-pointers.
The game was tied at 86 with 3:46 to play in the third quarter before the Wizards went on an 11-3 run to end the period and took a 97-89 advantage into the final 12 minutes.
Dallas played without Kristaps Porzingis, who is nursing a bad right knee. Porzingis is also expected to miss the Mavericks’ game on Sunday at home against Sacramento.
