Max Strus tossed up a hope and a prayer, and the basketball gods seemingly answered the Cavaliers’ shooting guard on the last-second shot Tuesday night.
Strus chucked up a beyond-halfcourt shot with the Cavaliers down 119-118 that cleanly went through the basket as time expired as Cleveland beat the Mavericks, 121-119.
The game-winning sequence occurred just after the Mavericks had taken a one-point lead with 2.6 seconds left on the clock.
But as the Cavs got one last possession, Strus inbounded the ball to Evan Mobley, who quickly moved the ball back to Strus.
The shooting guard took one step, bounced the ball and then launched the desperation heave over Mavericks star Luka Doncic toward the other end of the floor, which then sent the home crowd into a frenzy when it went in.
Strus then ran to the other end of the floor in excitement as he was mobbed by his teammates in celebration.
Per ESPN Stats & Info, the 59-footer was the second-longest game-winning shot at the buzzer in the 3-point era.
“[Donovan Mitchell] was out of the game so somebody else had to step up,” Strus told Bally Sports Cleveland after the win. “I got lucky Don was out cause he would have shot that one.”
“That was awesome. Great win, we needed it,” Strus added after being doused with water by his teammates. “We’ve been struggling. It’s good to get one like that. We fought and fought and fought. Tough one at the end turning the ball over, them getting a basket late, but whatever we won the game it doesn’t matter.”
Strus finished the game with 21 points while shooting 7 of 12 from the field as all of his makes were behind the 3-point arc.
He also had four rebounds, four assists and a team-high two blocks.
His effort made Ohio native Travis Kelce plenty excited.
“Straight cash!!! Them boys got the juice right now!! @cavs” the Chiefs tight end wrote on X in response to the bucket and a Patrick Mahomes post about it.
The win was the Cavs’ second consecutive victory as they’ve tried to turn the page after losing three of five before that.
They now sit at 38-19 and in second in the Eastern Conference.
