By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Dorian Finney-Smith connecting a three-pointer with 17.3 seconds remaining in the tight affair of the NBA Regular Season propelled the Dallas Mavericks to the narrow win, 116-115, against the Denver Nuggets in Ball Arena Tuesday.
“Him just giving me confidence, that means a lot,” said the 29-year-old forward referring to teammate Luka Doncic urging him to keep attempting shots in crunch time.
The Slovenian superstar himself went into triple-double mode once more, combining 22 points, 12 assists, and ten rebounds. It was a rough shooting evening attached with five turnovers. With necessary assistance in place when it mattered most, his side improved to 13-11 to tie the Portland Trail Blazers at the seventh spot in the Western Conference.
German Maxi Kleber chipped in nine points and three rebounds coming off the bench. Latvian Davis Bertans and French Frank Ntilikina did not play.
Back-to-back season MVP Nikola Jokic missed a free throw with 12 seconds on the clock that would tie the game, 114-114. From there, the Mavs holding on dropped the Nuggets to 13-11. The Serbian superstar finished with 19 points, eight assists, and eight rebounds. Slovenian teammate Vlatko Cancar logged three rebounds and one assist.
Elsewhere, Croatian Bojan Bogdanovic poured 28 of his 31 points in the second half powering the Detroit Pistons to the away win, 116-96, over the Miami Heat. Fellow starter, French Killian Hayes put in six points, six assists, one rebound, and one block. For the losing team, Serbian Nikola Jovic had five points and one rebound in nine minutes.
Scoring 43 points, Donovan Mitchell sent the Cleveland Cavaliers to the home win, 116-102, versus the Los Angeles Lakers. Held to 3/10 field goals, Turkish Cedi Osman threw in six points and one assist. German Dennis Schroder tallied 16 points for the visitors in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Standings:
Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics 20-5
2. Milwaukee Bucks 17-6
3. Cleveland Cavaliers 16-9
4. Atlanta Hawks 13-11
5. Indiana Pacers 13-11
6. Brooklyn Nets 13-12
7. Philadelphia 76ers 12-12
8. Toronto Raptors 12-12
9. New York Knicks 11-13
10. Washington Wizards 11-13
11. Miami Heat 11-14
12. Chicago Bulls 9-14
13. Charlotte Hornets 7-17
14. Detroit Pistons 7-19
15. Orlando Magic 5-20
Western Conference
1. Phoenix Suns 16-8
2. New Orleans Pelicans 15-8
3. Memphis Grizzlies 15-9
4. Sacramento Kings 13-9
5. Denver Nuggets 14-10
6. Los Angeles Clippers 14-11
7. Dallas Mavericks 13-11
8. Portland Trail Blazers 13-11
9. Utah Jazz 14-12
10. Golden State Warriors 13-12
11. Minnesota Timberwolves 11-12
12. Oklahoma City Thunder 11-13
13. Los Angeles Lakers 10-13
14. Houston Rockets 7-17
15. San Antonio Spurs 6-18
-Top six teams of each conference advance directly to Playoffs
-Teams seeded 7th to 10th will compete in Play-In tournament
Photo Credit: Getty Images