NEW YORK — Call it one of the Mavericks’ most exciting — and unlikely — finishes of the season.
Call it a repeat from three nights earlier.
Call it a thrilling, emphatic 113-111 Mavericks win.
As the final seconds wound down Wednesday night against the Brooklyn Nets, Luka Doncic dribbled at the top of the arc and looked like he wanted to take a 3-point shot from his left-wing sweet spot.
But the Nets — who had just pulled ahead 111-110 on a Kevin Durant 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining — didn’t leave him much space.
So he dribbled a few more times, dished to Spencer Dinwiddie, and the game-winning combination that sealed the Mavericks’ win in Boston three days earlier doomed the Nets, too.
Dinwiddie’s 3-point shot rattled in to the disappointments of his former home crowd, and he and Doncic met for another airborne shoulder bump at mid-court. Dinwiddie streaked along the courtside fans as teammates mobbed him.
Another memorable ending in his first six weeks as the most productive inclusion in the Feb. 10 Kristaps Porzingis trade.
The Mavericks trailed 91-79 entering the fourth quarter and appeared out-sized and overmatched against Durant’s smooth offense and Brooklyn’s second-chance scoring.
But Doncic finished with 37 points, nine rebounds and nine assists — including his second game-winning dish in as many outings.
Dinwiddie finished 22 points in 33 minutes despite battling second-quarter foul trouble.
And the Mavericks finished their 15th double-digit comeback of the season in jubilant celebration.
What a difference three months has made for the Mavericks.
They blew a 17-point lead to Brooklyn in the teams’ first matchup this season, losing 102-99 at home Dec. 7 after allowing Durant to power a 27-13 run through the fourth quarter.
Wednesday night in Barclays Center?
The Mavericks outscored the Nets 34-20 in the final period to extend their record in clutch time — what the NBA defines as games within five points in the last five minutes — to an NBA-best 7-1 since the All-Star break.
