Doncic, Mavericks win 125-124 thriller over surging Wizards

<p>DALLAS &mdash; Dorian Finney-Smith hit a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final seconds, Luka Doncic ended his longest stretch without a triple-double since his rookie season and the Dallas Mavericks won a 125-124 thriller over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night. </p>
<p>Doncic finished with 31 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high 20 assists, the last to Finney-Smith in the right corner for the lead with 9.2 seconds remaining.</p>
<p>Dallas pulled even with the Los Angeles Lakers for the fifth seed in the Western Conference while improving to a season-high nine games over .500.</p>
<p>Russell Westbrook had 42 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Wizards, who lost for just the third time in 15 games in a surge that has put them in position to make the play-in tournament in the Eastern Conference.</p>
<p>Bradley Beal scored 29 points while breaking three ties in the final two minutes, the last time on a pair of free throws for a 124-122 lead with 26 seconds remaining. Finney-Smith then hit his sixth 3-pointer in nine attempts. He scored 22.</p>
<p>Beal missed an open 3-pointer at the top of the key just before the buzzer, and Doncic grabbed the rebound before tossing the ball over his head behind him to avoid a foul call as the buzzer sounded. </p>
<p>Doncic had gone 21 games without a triple-double, his longest stretch since needing 44 games to get his first as a rookie in 2018-19.</p>
<p>Dallas led by 18 points in the first half, then trailed by eight to start the fourth quarter. There were four ties in the last four-plus minutes.</p>
<p>Doncic was again without European sidekick Kristaps Porzingis, out with right knee soreness after coming out of a game in Detroit two nights earlier. Coach Rick Carlisle said Porzingis would miss the second night of a back-to-back Sunday against Sacramento.</p>
<p>Maxi Kleber topped his previous season high for a game in the first half, scoring all of his 17 points while also hitting a season-best five 3-pointers before the break. The German’s previous game high was 16.</p>
<p>Rui Hachimura scored 18 points for Washington.</p>
<p>TIP-INS</p>
<p>Wizards: Westbrook’s other 23-point half came in the second half of a 125-119 loss to Milwaukee on March 13. … Beal was called for a technical foul for complaining that a foul wasn’t called when he made a layup with 2.5 seconds left in the first half. Josh Richardson made the free throw to put Dallas ahead 70-65 at the break.</p>
<p>Mavericks: Porzingis, battling the same knee that forced him to miss the first nine games recovering from offseason surgery for a torn meniscus, was out for the 23rd time. “Things are moving in a good direction,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “He really is diligent about his work, his rehab work.” … Tim Hardaway Jr. had 16 points two nights after scoring a career-high 42 in a 115-105 win at Detroit with Doncic resting a sore left elbow.</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Wizards: Indiana visits Monday before Washington goes on a five-game trip that matches the second-longest of the season. </p>
<p>Mavericks: Sacramento visits Sunday to complete a span of five games in seven days for Dallas.</p>
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