Max Strus’ Wild Game-Winner Seals Fourth-Quarter Surge In Cavs’ Win
In their first meeting against the Dallas Mavericks on December 27, the Cleveland Cavaliers completed a 20-point comeback to win the game.
On Tuesday night, the Wine and Gold needed some more late-game magic to sweep their season series against Dallas.
They got it from Max Strus.
The 27-year-old swingman scored 15 of his 21 points in the final 3:42 of the game, as the Cavaliers earned a thrilling 121-119 victory.
But Strus’ final three points were some of the wildest in Cleveland franchise history.
Trailing by one point with no timeouts and 2.6 seconds remaining, Strus performed a give-and-go with Evan Mobley on a full-court inbound pass. After receiving the ball from Mobley, he then drained a 59-foot shot to win the game.
According to Bally Sports Cleveland, Strus’ game-winning shot is the second-longest in an NBA game (regular-season or playoffs) in the three-point era, which began in the 1979-80 season.
Trailing 110-100 with 3:57 remaining, the Cavaliers’ offense caught fire in large part due to Strus. During a 15-3 run over the next 3:12, he drained four consecutive three-point attempts in a 67-second span.
Feb 27, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus (1) makes a last-second, game-winning three-point basket beside Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) in the fourth quarter against at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
© David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
With his eventual game-winner, Strus finished 5-for-5 from deep in the final quarter. Per Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor, according to ESPN Stats & Information, he is the fourth player in the past 25 seasons to make at least five three-pointers within the final four minutes of a game.
Strus explained what happened during the final play with some humor in an on-court postgame interview.
“I don’t know. [Donovan Mitchell] was out of the game, so somebody else had to step up. I got lucky [Mitchell] was out, because he would’ve shot that one.”
Up next, the Cavaliers will face the Chicago Bulls on the road tomorrow night at 8 p.m.
