Luka Doncic hit not one, but two clutch step-back 3s to beat the Boston Celtics.
Trailing by 11 points with three minutes left, the Boston Celtics made a late push in Tuesday’s road Tuesday contest against the Dallas Mavericks.
Fortunately for the Mavs, Luka Doncic wasn’t letting that comeback happen.
When the Celtics went on an impressive 12-0 run late in the fourth quarter to turn a 104-93 deficit into a one-point lead, Doncic wasn’t frazzled. On the very next possession, he drilled a clutch step-back 3-pointer with 15.8 seconds left to put the Mavs up by two.
The game wasn’t over, though, and Boston quickly tied it back up at 107 thanks to Jaylen Brown’s layup with 9.5 seconds to go.
Again, Doncic didn’t wilt from the pressure, confidently dribbling down court, getting to his spot deep on the left side of the floor, and launching another incredible step-back. This time, he made sure not to leave as much time on the clock:
Luka Doncic comes up clutch for Dallas
As you may have noticed, Doncic got to the same exact spot on the court where he drilled that incredible game-winning 3 against the LA Clippers during Game 4 of their first-round playoff series last year in the NBA bubble. It appears he likes that spot, because he sent Boston home in similar, heartbreaking fashion.
The Celtics still had 0.1 seconds left on the clock after Doncic’s incredible bucket, but they were obviously unable to do anything with it trailing by three points.
Heading toward his second straight start in the NBA All-Star Game, Doncic finished his night with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists on 11-of-23 shooting, including 6-of-8 shooting from 3-point range. Some wondered whether Damian Lillard should be starting over him in the West, but there’s no doubt that Doncic is a deserving All-Star thanks to performances like this.