This Season, Two NBA Players Have Done This, And They’re Both Cavs
In the span of just one week, the Cleveland Cavaliers have had two of their wildest wins in franchise history.
Back on February 27, Cavaliers swingman Max Strus hit the second-longest game-winning buzzer-beater in the NBA’s three-point era to seal a 10-point fourth-quarter comeback in a win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Seven days later, Cleveland forward Dean Wade made a game-winning putback dunk with 19.1 seconds remaining to complete the team’s largest fourth-quarter comeback in franchise history in a win over the Boston Celtics.
One thing in common in both games? A Cavalier taking over the game in the fourth quarter.
According to StatMuse, the Cavaliers duo are the only two NBA players to make at least five threes on 100% shooting in a fourth quarter this season.
In the Wine and Gold’s victory over Dallas, Strus scored 15 points in the final period, shooting a perfect 5-for-5 (all from three-point range) in the game’s final 3:42.
Likewise, in Cleveland’s triumph over Boston, Wade scored 20 of his career-high 23 points in the fourth quarter, shooting a perfect 7-for-7 from the field and 5-for-5 from beyond the arc in the game’s final 8:52.
Dec 29, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus (1) and forward Dean Wade (32) and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) go for a loose ball during the second half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
© Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The two have excelled from three-point range so far this season.
Strus is averaging 2.4 three-pointers per game on a 34.0% mark from deep, en route to career-best averages in points (12.2), rebounds (4.7), assists (3.8), steals (0.9), and blocks (0.5) per contest. Wade is averaging a career-best 1.5 three-pointers per game, and his 40.2% clip from three-point range is also a career-best (minimum 44 games played).
But most importantly for the Cavaliers over the past week, the pair of sharpshooters stepped up when the team needed them most.
