MY ACCOUNT
Spencer Dinwiddie delivered the buzzer-beating dagger in the Dallas Mavericks’ 113-111 win on the road against the Brooklyn Nets.
In a game with First Team All-NBA stars Luka Doncic and Kevin Durant going head-to-head, Dinwiddie hit the most important shot of the night as defenders rushed to trap Doncic with just seconds remaining as the Mavericks trailed 110-111.
The game only required Dinwiddie’s heroics after a string of late-game shot-making saw the lead seesaw.
After a Dirk Nowitzki-esque mid-range fadeaway from Doncic to grab a 110-108 lead, Durant took matters into his own hands.
Facing a defence that was game-planned to get the ball out of Durant’s hands by sending two defenders to him whenever he had the ball, the seven-foot star was unselfish throughout the game as he moved the ball to the open outlet pass and racked up 10 assists to go with his 23 points (8/20 shooting).
But with everything on the line, Durant was determined to live and die by his own shot-making, pulling up and draining a ridiculous long-three with two defenders closing in on him to nab a one-point lead, before Dindwiddie answered.
Doncic was the only thing keeping the Mavericks competitive at times, finishing with 37 points (14-of-26 shooting, five-of-12 from three), nine rebounds and nine assists.
League’s best two centers continue to make MVP cases
The Philadelphia 76ers recovered from a horrific third-quarter collapse to come back and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 118-114. An explosive first half saw the 76ers take a 72-59 lead into half-time, before getting outscored 13-31 in the third quarter, down five heading into the last. Luckily for Philadelphia, Most Valuable Player favourite Joel Embiid was too much to handle, finishing with 35 points on 13-of-19 shooting to go with 17 rebounds.
Newly-acquired partner-in-crime James Harden was also terrific, scoring 21 points (five-of-12 shooting) and dishing out 11 assists, while he and Embiid combined to go 18-of-22 from the free-throw line.
Meanwhile, MVP co-favourite Nikola Jokic continued to build his case with 29 points (10-of-14), eight assists and 13 rebounds in the Denver Nuggets’ 127-109 win against the Washington Wizards.
Going around the league, Phoenix Suns’ All-Star Devin Booker dropped 36 points on 15-of-24 shooting, while Mikal Bridges chipped in with 26 on 10/17 in a gritty 129-112 win against the Houston Rockets on the second night of a road back-to-back.
The Los Angeles Lakers fell 11 games below .500 after the Minnesota Timberwolves jumped out to a commanding 51-26 lead halfway through the second quarter, going on to win 124-104. After scoring a career-high 60 points last week, Karl-Anthony Towns continued on his hot streak to score 30 on eight-of-15 shooting, going 13-of-13 from the free-throw line.
Curry limps out for Warriors
Steph Curry was forced to leave the Golden State Warriors’ 110-88 loss at the hands of the Boston Celtics as this season’s two best defences went head-to-head. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown scored 26 points each for the Celtics, while Jordan Poole was the lone bright spot for the Warriors with 29 (10-of-20 shooting, six-of-13 from three).
