With nine days to kill over the All-Star break, the Mavericks did not want to go into that extended layoff on the heels of a stinko performance.
This was no stinker.
In fact, it was one of the most entertaining games of the season.
That doesn’t mean it didn’t leave a lousy taste in the Mavericks’ mouths.
Gordon Hayward canned a difficult, fading-away baseline jumper over Zaza Pachulia at the buzzer for a 121-119 overtime victory as the Mavericks couldn’t make enough defensive stops at crunch time to close out a game they led by as much as 15 points earlier.