Welcome to Layup Lines, our basketball newsletter where we’ll prep you for the tip-off of tonight’s action, from what to watch to bets to make. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox.
Something very strange happened at the end of the first half when the Mavericks and Nuggets played on Sunday night.
Luka Doncic, who is having an MVP-caliber season for Dallas thus far, hit one of his patented stepback 3-pointers from well beyond the arc. It was an absurdly impressive shot, but there was one problem: He was actually too far back.
The refs ruled that Doncic’s heel was actually out of bounds and the shot did not count. The officials then added two seconds back to the clock before the second half began, and the Nuggets would have a chance to rebuttal with a heave and a prayer.
This moment in Nuggets-Mavs was WILD 👀
Luka beat the buzzer at halftime but it was waved off since he was out of bounds. Two seconds were put back on the clock then this happened 🤯
Mavs lost 98-97 pic.twitter.com/6MIfK1q2bH
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 21, 2022
Despite all odds, the prayer was answered, and Vlatko Cančar nailed an improbable buzzer-beater of his own. Cančar, who is from Slovenia, plays on the Slovenian national team with Doncic.
His shot gave Denver some momentum heading into the second half, and the Nuggets went on to win by just two points.
After the loss, the Mavericks are now just one game behind the Nuggets in the Western Conference standings. The latest updates on ESPN’s BPI project the Nuggets will finish with 48 wins and the Mavericks will finish with 47.
That means this controversial call can potentially have a massive impact in the playoff seedings once the regular season comes to a conclusion.
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
In case you missed it, Giannis Antetokounmpo found himself in some beef with Montrezl Harrell and a 76ers arena worker due to a ladder. Mike Sykes has more:
“Giannis Antetokoumpo isn’t a player with too many weaknesses in his game, but if there was a glaring one out there it’d almost certainly be his ability to shoot free throws.
Free throws have generally been a struggle for Antetokounmpo over the last few years. He’s been up and down on his percentages for most of his career and he also takes a super long time to actually shoot them.
And, boy, did he struggle with them against the 76ers on Friday. He shot 4-15 from the line in the game.
He was so bad that he came back to the court after the 76ers win to actually practice his free throw.
And, well, that’s where all this beef started.”
This was all so silly and needlessly dramatic.
One To Watch
(All odds via Tipico.)
Cavaliers (-135, -2.5) vs. Hawks (+115), O/U 226.5, 7:00 PM ET
Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. These two backcourts are two of the best in the NBA, and it’s must-watch basketball when these guys are all on the court.
Shootaround
— Ben Simmons proved why his future in the NBA is at the center position, and that’s encouraging
— Stephen Curry hit an unbelievable shot and a Rockets assistant coach had the funniest reaction possible
— Jaylen Brown responds to criticism of tweet which appears to support Black Hebrew Israelites
— HoopsHype’s Yossi Gozlan discusses James Wiseman and other out-of-rotation players who could become trade candidates