For the second night in a row, Monta Ellis played the role of hero for the surging Dallas Mavericks.
Ellis spun away from OJ Mayo, and perhaps took an extra step or two for a wild, game-winning shot at the buzzer.
Ellis finished with 23 points, seven assists and three steals in the dramatic 107-105 victory against his former team, the Milwaukee Bucks.
Per the Journal Sentinel:
The Bucks coaches spilled on the floor vehemently protesting that Ellis had traveled, and Mayo angrily approached the scorer’s table while the referees were reviewing whether Ellis’ shot beat the buzzer. […] “He made the tough shot,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. “Walk or not a walk, they counted the basket. It didn’t come down to just that last shot. We made some mistakes leading up to that. I thought Juice (Mayo) played some great defense.”
“I mean we wanted Monta to have the ball at the end, hit the shot and get out of here,” Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle said. “Look, that is an all-star, flat out. The load he has carried on this trip has been phenomenal. They will be watching that shot on SportsCenter for the next day and a half.”
Ellis ducked reporters after the game as he dashed down the hallway with his headphones on and declined to be interviewed. But he did give a brief TV interview and said Carlisle drew up a play to isolate him in a one-on-one situation. […] “He wanted me to take the shot so I just took my time,” Ellis said. “I just faded to try and get a shot and was able to see the basket.”]
