Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Max Strus took just one dribble off an inbound pass, elevated and heaved a two-handed shot from 59 feet, draining the attempt at the final buzzer to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a hectic win over the Dallas Mavericks.
The Cavaliers forward made all five of the 3-pointers he took over the final 3:42 of the 121-119 win Tuesday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland. Strus was 7 of 10 overall from distance, totaling 21 points for the Cavaliers.
"It felt good," Strus, who hit four 3-pointers in a 67-second fourth-quarter span, told reporters. "The last five of them felt pretty good."
The Mavericks outscored the Cavaliers 50-42 in the paint, but were edged 21-15 off fast breaks and 30-17 off the bench. The game featured 24 lead changes.
All-Star guard Luka Doncic scored 11 points in the first quarter to help the Mavericks carry a 24-23 lead into the second. He poured in another 16 over the next 12 minutes, but the Cavaliers outscored the Mavericks 37-32 in the quarter and led 60-56 at the break.
Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving scored 12 in the third quarter, helping his team carry an 83-82 edge into the fourth.
Both teams set the nets on fire in the fourth, with the Cavaliers and Mavericks shooting 70% and 66.7%, respectively. They continued to exchange the lead until the Mavericks went on a 12-1 run to take a 108-98 edge with 4:38 remaining.
Strus hit his first 3-pointer of the quarter with the Cavaliers trailing 110-100. He proceeded to hit his next three shots from downtown as part of a 15-3 run, giving the Cavaliers a 115-113 advantage with 1:52 remaining.
Mavericks forward Josh Green tied the game with a dunk about a minute later, but Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell responded with a 3-pointer on the next possession. Irving then cut the deficit to one point with a floater before forward P.J. Washington gave the Mavericks the lead on a layup with three seconds remaining.
Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley took the ball to the baseline and threw it to Strus for the final play of the night. The sharpshooter caught the pass, took his final dribble and let it fly for the game-winning basket. He was then mobbed by elated teammates in celebration of the victory.
Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 31 points. Center Jarrett Allen chipped in 19. Doncic totaled 45 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds for the Mavericks. Irving logged 30 points, six rebounds and three assists.
The Cavaliers (38-19) will battle the Chicago Bulls (27-31) at 8 p.m. EST Wednesday in Chicago. The Mavericks (33-25) will face the Toronto Raptors (22-36) at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Toronto.
