Mavs Fall to Wizards in Last-Second Road Loss
The Dallas Mavericks' struggles without Luka Doncic continued on Friday night, as they fell at the Washington Wizards, 119-118.
With Kristaps Porzigings in foul trouble, Dallas had to find a way to establish some offense against a formidable scoring unit in the Wizards.
“His foul trouble was certainly an issue in the game,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “Everyone was involved with mistakes, including the coaching staff. It’s on all of us. We win and lose together.”
Unfortunately for Dallas, the balanced team effort, led by Seth Curry, that included seven different players hitting double-figures throughout the evening, wasn't enough, as Bradley Beal hit a buzzer-beating layup with .2 seconds remaining on the clock to help the Wizards survive.
“We made a mistake on defense and they made a great play,” Carlisle said.
Curry's 20 points on 6-of 18 shooting led the Mavs, while Tim Hardaway Jr. added 19, and Jalen Brunson had 15 points with four assists. Dorian Finney-Smith also had 12 for Dallas, while
Despite missing six of his final seven shots, Beal led the way for Washington with 29 points on 11-of-28 shooting, while handing out eight assists and grabbing five rebounds in the Washington win.
Davis Bertans supplemented Beal's 29 with 20 points of his own, while Rui Hachimura added 17 points and six rebounds, and journeyman point guard Ish Smith had 14, six assists and six rebounds in 30 minutes of action.
Shabazz Napier also had 14 points off of the bench from his reserve spot.
The Mavs (31-21) will have a quick turnaround from their matchup in D.C., as they head to Charlotte to take on the Hornets on the second end of a back-to-back on Saturday night.
The Hornets upset the Mavs in overtime at the American Airlines Center in the previous meeting on January 4, despite a 39-point triple-double from Luka Doncic. Terry Rozier led the way for Charlotte, scoring 29 points to go along with eight assists and six rebounds.
Another opportunity opens quickly with hopes that it closes properly. Will the Mavs learn how to finish games?
“We better hurry up, man,'' Finney-Smith said.
