When an NBA team trails by 16 with four minutes left, there's a 1-in-10,000 chance they'll win. Against the Mavs Saturday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder said, "Never tell me the odds!"
NBA teams were 9,975-1 when leading by 16+ points in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter over the last 25 years, per @ESPNStatsInfo.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) October 30, 2022
Make that 9,975-2 after the Mavericks’ miracle loss to the Thunder.
With 5:41 remaining, Josh Green of the Mavs hit a three-point play to cap a 17-4 run and give Dallas a 95-79 lead. The Mavs also brought in all-world superstar Luka Doncic. Against a Thunder team that's supposed to be tanking this season, it looked like the victory was in the bag.
But then Oklahoma City brought in their secret weapon: Isaiah Joe.
Joe had seven points and an assist, including the game-tying bucket with 15.8 seconds left. In overtime, he scored eight more to finish with 15 points on perfect 4-4 shooting, plus three triples. Oh, and he didn't even come into the game until the 4:53 mark of the 4th quarter.
The Thunder were down 79-95 when Isaiah Joe checked in with 4:53 in the 4th
— TF (@ThunderFocus) October 30, 2022
They ended up winning 117-111 in OT
Joe finished as a +24 in 9 MINUTES pic.twitter.com/LRmkHpp3GM
Joe finished a staggering +24 in his 9:04 of game action. Meanwhile, Luka Doncic missed two shots from the field and two free throws late in the 4th, although he did lead Dallas with seven points in the overtime period.
The only other team to blow such a big lead so late was the 2019-20 Minnesota Timberwolves against the Sacramento Kings. In that game, the Kings tailed by 17 points with 2:49 remaining before Buddy Hield went crazy, scoring 18 points in the final five minutes, 12 of them in the final 2:02. Sacramento won in overtime after De'Aaron Fox intentionally missed a free throw and scored off the rebound with seconds remaining.
Doncic fouled out in overtime with 31 points, but finished a team-low -25.
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