Luka Doncic says the defensive mishap that led to the Utah Jazz's winning dunk was a "misunderstanding" and shouldered the blame for the Dallas Mavericks' loss on Thursday.
The Jazz recorded their first home win of the season with their 115-113 victory, but it looked like they might have thrown it away after blowing a third-quarter lead.
However, with just 6.4 seconds remaining, Doncic left John Collins wide open to give him an easy dunk that settled the game in Utah's favour.
The Slovenian had 37 points, seven rebounds and nine assists for Dallas in an otherwise impressive showing, especially without Kyrie Irving, who missed the game with a shoulder injury.
"It was a misunderstanding," Doncic said.
"I thought I was going to go hit, and [Quentin] Grimes thought he was going to go hit. And it was a lob, so we misunderstood the bench. That's on me."
Collins scored 28 points for the Jazz in their win, also getting nine rebounds, while Jordan Clarkson added 20 points to end a five-game losing streak at home.
They rallied back after letting a 12-point lead slip, something which particularly impressed head coach Will Hardy.
"Tonight isn't about the Xs & Os piece, it was about the mental and physical toughness that the team showed," Hardy said.
"It felt really, really good to battle through a tough moment and pull out a win here at home."
Collins echoed his coach's praise: "Man, I wanted this one so bad. We knew it was going to be a battle in the second half, it's all about staying mentally strong."
NBA: Jazz blow big lead but edge Mavericks on late dunk
John Collins scored the last of his 28 points on a tiebreaking dunk with 6.4 seconds left to give the Utah Jazz their first home victory of the season, 115-113 over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.
Collins also had nine rebounds and Jordan Clarkson added 20 points for the Jazz, who had lost their first five home games.
Luka Dončić had 37 points, seven rebounds and nine assists for Dallas. Quentin Grimes added 15 points and five assists while filling in for Kyrie Irving, who missed the game because of a right shoulder sprain. Klay Thompson had 17 points.
The Mavericks erased a 16-point deficit and tied it on Thompson’s 3-pointer in the final minute before Collins answered with his winner.
Dallas led at halftime and got six third-quarter baskets from Doncic. It wasn’t enough to keep the Jazz from surging ahead as the quarter progressed. Utah ripped off a 9-0 run following back-to-back baskets from Doncic and went up 90-78 on Collins’ tip-in layup.
Utah scored baskets on six straight third-quarter possessions to take an 81-73 lead. Lauri Markkanen scored three baskets himself, culminating in a step-back 3-pointer.
Bahamian VJ Edgecombe records near triple double to help Baylor Bears demolish Sam Houston Bearcats
Bahamian freshman VJ Edgecombe recorded a neat triple double as the Baylor Bears defeated the Sam Houston Bearcats in NCAA Men’s Division 1 Basketball action at Baylor’s Foster Pavilion on Tuesday.
Edgecombe recorded 13 points on 6-9 shooting, 10 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a block in 29 minutes of action as the Bears improved their record this season to 3-1 with a comprehensive 104-67 win over the Bearcats who are now 1-3 on the year.
Senior guard Jayden Nunn led the Bears in scoring with 19 points while Nicaraguan 5th year senior forward Norchad Omier had 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Lamar Wilkerson had 19 points for Sam Houston.
The Bears will next host the Tarleton State Texans on Sunday.
LeBron will retire when time is right after latest piece of history
LeBron James accepts he may only have a maximum of two more years left in him before calling time on his glittering NBA career.
The 39-year-old, playing in his 22nd NBA campaign, helped the Los Angeles Lakers to a 128-123 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.
James finished with 35 points, 12 rebounds, 14 assists and one steal as the Lakers improved to 7-4 across their first 11 games, making it three wins on the bounce since their defeat to the Grizzlies last week.
With his latest dazzling display, he became the oldest player to record three straight triple-doubles at 39 years and 319 years old.
That surpassed his own record of 34 years and 310 days, but James knows he will not be able to continue at an elite level forever.
"I'm not going to play that much longer, to be completely honest," he told reporters.
"I don't know how many years that is, whether it's one year or two years."
"I'm not playing until the wheels fall off. I'm not going to be the guy that's disrespecting the game because I just want to be out on the floor."
Proving that age is just a number, James is averaging 24.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game this season.
Further probed on what will determine when he calls time on his playing career, the 20-time NBA All-Star said: "It's not me.
"It's wherever my mind is, it's however my body's going to go. Whatever the case may be."
The Lakers are sixth in the Western Conference and return to action in the NBA Cup against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday.
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