The Mavericks are struggling without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Even to throw the ball in.
After San Antonio's Keldon Johnson missed two free throws with less than two seconds remaining, Dallas simply needed a successful inbounds pass to lock in the game. Maxi Kleber threw a pass that was anything but simple.
up 2 with 1.8 seconds left maxi kleber just launches a full court inbounds pass out of bounds
— Fastbreak Breakfast (@fastbreakbreak) March 16, 2023
(Spurs tie game to send it to OT) pic.twitter.com/eUMs7UkcmB
Kleber fired a pass the full length of the court that soared over all his teammates. Then, the Spurs proved that even though they have the NBA's third-worst record, they can inbound the ball with the best of them.
KELDON JOHNSON ALLEY-OOP WITH 1 SECOND LEFT
— NBA (@NBA) March 16, 2023
MAVS-SPURS IS GOING TO OT
Watch live on the NBA App
: https://t.co/1pomQZMAZK pic.twitter.com/TxPqKxZeOd
Johnson made up for the free throw misses by throwing down the game-tying dunk, and Kleber compounded his error by letting him.
Dallas managed to pull out the win in overtime, with Christian Wood playing for Kleber. The Mavs broke their three-game losing streak, and are now 6-9 since trading for Irving.
Clearly the Mavericks are struggling without both of their injured All-Stars, but if the remaining players can't even execute a basic throw-in, Coach Jason Kidd and the whole team are in big trouble.
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