West Notes: Mavs, Luka Doncic, Pelicans, Timberwolves

Mavericks

The Mavericks were at the wrong end of the miracle shot by Cavaliers guard/forward Max Strus, a 59-foot buzzer-beater, losing a game they thought they had won in the blink of an eye.

“Incredible shot. That was just an incredible shot,” Mavs star Luka Doncic told reporters. “It was my fault, I should have pressed forward (on Strus). I thought we played a good game, but that was rough, obviously.”

Doncic was incredible, finishing with 45 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds. It was his pass to P.J. Washington that gave the Mavs the lead with 2.1 seconds left. Cleveland had no timeouts.

Strus made four threes in just more than a minute to keep the Cavs in it before his winner in a back-and-forth game.

“This is the first time I’ve lost on a half-court shot,” guard Kyrie Irving said. “You don’t flush it out of your system, you feel it. This one has got to sting a little bit.”

• Irving received a standing ovation in his return to Cleveland, as Cavs fans continue to celebrate members of the 2016 championship team. He had kind words to say about the team that drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick in 2011, as our Ashish Mathur relayed here. “Cleveland loved me through my mistakes and I love them for it,” he said.

Pelicans

Forward Trey Murphy III scored 26 points but he credited the defense for the Pelicans’ road win over the shorthanded Knicks on Tuesday.

“We got stops, that was the biggest thing,” Murphy said. “We got on a run. That’s our best offense, when we get stops and get out on transition. We’re a young team. We have a lot of guys who can finish in transition, so I think that was the biggest thing.”

• Power forward Zion Williamson added 21 points before fouling out. “We want to win. At the end of the day people remember winners,” he said. “This was my first time playing at Madison Square Garden when there was no COVID restrictions. New York is the mecca of basketball. Playing here for the first time here was dope, even though I fouled out.”
• In case you missed it, Pelicans GM Trajan Langdon continues to be linked to the Hornets’ head of basketball operations vacancy. We have the full story here.

Timberwolves

Guard Anthony Edwards tweaked his ankle before halftime in Tuesday’s win over the Spurs, but stayed in the game and finished with 34 points.

Two of those came off a windmill dunk in the second half.

“It was bothering me a little bit, but once you get out there and the adrenaline rush, it goes away,” Edwards said, adding that he’ll be ready for the second game of Minnesota’s back-to-back set on Wednesday.

• Timberwolves executive Matt Lloyd is said to be among the candidates for the Hornets’ main basketball man. We have the full story here.