A potential game-tying layup wiped out by an offensive foul seals another heartbreaking, last-second loss for the Mavericks.
DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks executed the play they wanted, got the clean catch they needed, and believed they had tied the game in the final second. Instead, they were left stunned as Brandon Williams’ apparent game-tying layup with 0.7 seconds remaining was overturned by an offensive foul, sealing a 113–111 loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday night and extending one of the NBA’s most painful early-season trends.
Dallas, playing without Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Danté Exum, Ryan Nembhard and Caleb Martin, fell to 4–12 and dropped to 3–9 in clutch games, the most clutch losses in the league. No other team has more than five.
The Mavericks had no timeouts when Jalen Brunson split a pair of free throws to put New York ahead 113–111 with 3.8 seconds left. P.J. Washington launched a long inbounds pass toward Dereck Lively II at midcourt, who caught it in stride and immediately redirected it to a sprinting Williams. Williams beat Landry Shamet to the rim and finished through contact, triggering a roar inside American Airlines Center before the whistle signaled the opposite call.
The play drew frustration from the Mavericks, but head coach Jason Kidd began by praising the execution.
“Great execution. Great catch,” Kidd said. “Great pass by D Live and back it up to PJ to be able to do that to D Live, and then for him to catch and then for him to find. Great execution. Tough call. Tough.”
That final moment fit the recurring pattern that has cost Dallas repeatedly through 16 games — sharp sequences undone by missed rebounds, late turnovers or single-possession swings that turn winnable games into narrow losses. Kidd said his team understood it let another opportunity slip away.
“We fought to get back in and we never stopped,” Kidd said. “It becomes a free throw game. They miss one, we execute. We had good looks. We executed down the stretch, something we've had trouble with during the season. We had great looks that didn’t go down. On the other end, we get the miss. We just can't rebound the ball. The ball bounced their way. Hart comes up with the miss layup or the block and puts it back. The ball bounced their way, but we had great opportunities; we just couldn't get the freedom.”
For a team missing six rotation players — headlined by Flagg, whose offensive gravity has already reshaped Dallas’ spacing — Wednesday’s performance featured some of the most energetic stretches the Mavericks have produced in weeks. But the night began much differently.
Dallas missed its first five shots and fell behind 5–0 after Shamet converted a three-point play and Mikal Bridges hit from midrange. Lively had an early shot blocked inside, Christie and Washington missed in traffic, and New York controlled the glass behind Mitchell Robinson. The Mavericks didn’t settle in until D’Angelo Russell entered at the 9:58 mark and immediately buried a pull-up jumper to end the drought.
Russell struck again moments later when he poked the ball loose from Bridges to set up a transition layup for Christie. The Mavericks’ energy flipped with that play, and Washington soon knocked down a corner three before Thompson added another from the right wing.
As Dallas’ ball movement sharpened, Kidd said the looks validated the team’s early approach.
“They were making them,” Kidd said. “The trust of finding the corners. PJ goes one for 12. A lot of times you don't think you're going to beat the game, but it shows PJ's ability to fight on the defensive end. We had great looks that didn’t go down. When guys shoot one for six in this league, you get that many threes, you have to make some. We didn’t do that today.”
The first quarter turned when the bench checked in. Marshall hit consecutive threes, then another in the final seconds of the period after a late stop. Hardy drilled a long three earlier in the quarter, and the Mavericks closed the frame with seven made threes to take a 25–24 lead.
New York countered with second-chance scoring in the second quarter. Josh Hart’s offensive rebounding, Jordan Clarkson’s floaters and spacing from Bridges kept the Knicks from falling behind despite Dallas’ continued defensive effort. The Mavericks briefly led by six before turnovers and missed threes allowed New York to stabilize and tie the game by halftime.
The third quarter delivered Dallas’ strongest push. Russell, who later described the challenge of adjusting on the fly, took command of the offense.
“This league is hard,” Russell said. “You take what the game gives you. You're on the game plan for what they’re taking away. Some nights it's scoring, some nights passing. Try to implement myself whichever way. Everybody did a little tonight. Nobody had to do a lot. That’s a great formula for success.”
He found Hardy for a corner three, piled up assists by probing the defense and hit a runner to give Dallas rhythm. Lively blocked Brunson at the rim and controlled a series of contested rebounds that fueled transition chances. Christie added a pull-up three, and Washington hit Daniel Gafford for a dunk that pushed Dallas ahead 46–39.
But the Knicks, coached by Mike Brown, repeatedly answered. Bridges knocked down midrange jumpers. Clarkson attacked Dallas’ switches and drew fouls. Karl-Anthony Towns steadied possessions with drives and short hooks. The Mavericks’ lead shrank, and by early in the fourth, the game had swung into the back-and-forth contest that would define the closing minutes.
The turning point came on a string of Dallas mistakes: a Hardy foul on a midrange jumper, a Russell turnover, and a missed defensive assignment that allowed Guerschon Yabusele to slip free at the rim. Then came the two shots that flipped the night for New York.
Shamet, who had missed his previous five attempts, drilled a three from the right wing after a Robinson tap-out. One possession later, after another offensive rebound, Shamet hit again — this time from the top of the arc — to put New York ahead 111–108.
“They're going to shoot a lot,” Kidd said. “They have shooters — not just Shamet, but Brunson and Bridges. KA puts pressure on you because if he starts making them, he’s pump faking and getting to the midrange. He did that a couple times. We understand they can shoot and are one of the best offensive teams in the league. We gave ourselves a chance to win at home. We just can't get the ball down the stretch.”
Still, Dallas rallied. Marshall, whose energy on both ends has been essential amid injuries, hit a deep three in the final seconds to bring the deficit to 113–111. He had embraced the defensive assignment against Brunson throughout the fourth quarter and later explained why.
“I do it for the team,” Marshall said. “Bring energy. Compete on defense. Take on the challenge and guard the best player, hopefully slow him down.”
Marshall was also at the center of the plan to deny Brunson touches late.
“Denied the ball,” Marshall said. “Played hard. Stopped him from catching the ball.”
The defense held. New York came up empty, giving Dallas the chance to tie or win.
The final play, though, became the moment that defined the outcome.
“It’s a hard layup,” Marshall said. “Rough call. That’s what it is.”
Washington, who saw the play unfold in real time, echoed the sentiment.
“We thought it was an and-one, but it is what it is,” Washington said. “Move on to the next.”
Russell, who scored 23 points and tied Marshall for the team high, said the team-wide mentality was to fill whatever gaps were needed with so many injuries.
“Everybody has that mentality — next man up,” Russell said. “Everyone is hungry to play and prove themselves. Some guys not in the lineup trying to insert themselves in. Whatever it takes. Everybody did their parts. We were supposed to get out of there with a win and celebrate as a team.”
Russell added that the frustration of these close losses has been met with an understanding of the long season ahead.
“Teams figuring out their identity don’t do anything special to win,” Russell said. “They know their formula and recipe. We're figuring it out. We'll win some and lose some. That’s the beauty of 82 games — a lot of figuring out.”
He also acknowledged how different the offense feels without Flagg.
“He’s the number-one pick,” Russell said. “His gravity takes a lot. Teams come in trying to stop him. That allows others to step up and be aggressive. Without him, other guys have to step up.”
The Mavericks got that aggression from Marshall and Russell, combining for 46 bench points. Christie added 15, Thompson scored 13, and Lively finished with 10 rebounds and three blocks. But the missed rebounds, missed threes and missed opportunity in the final second left the Mavericks again on the wrong end of a tight finish.
“It is what it is,” Marshall said. “On to the next one.”
Dallas hosts the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.