Call it what you will—a runner, a hook shot, a floater.

Perhaps Kyrie Irving would be content with a pivotal winning basket.

The Dallas star defeated the Denver Nuggets 107-105 on Sunday with a running left-handed jumper at the buzzer, capping a thrilling last 26 seconds.

The erratic Mavericks (39-29) defeated the reigning champions for their fifth win in six games, capping a 1-5 run that had followed Dallas’ greatest winning streak of the season, which had seen Doncic score 37 points and Irving chip in 24.

As part of a virtual three-way tie with Sacramento for the sixth and final guaranteed postseason position in the Western Conference, the Mavs even the score with Phoenix.

Dereck Lively II, a rookie center with 14 points, remarked, “In Kyrie we trust.” “Leave us alone and watch him get the ball whenever we see him do so.”

Midway through the fourth quarter, the Nuggets trailed by 13 points, but they came back to win thanks to a game-winning 3-pointer from Jamal Murray with 26 seconds left.

Following a timeout, Doncic nearly instantly responded on the inbounds pass, making a shot from many feet behind the arc to tie the game at 105.

With 2.8 seconds remaining, Dallas called a timeout after Murray missed an elbow jumper. After catching Nikola Jokic’s pass inbounds, Irving, who is right-handed, had to dribble with his left hand and make a 21-foot jumper to beat the buzzer.

The 6-foot-2 Irving admitted, “There are times when I just work on straight left-hand stuff for an hour straight.” “As a small guard, all you need to have is a variety of finishes.” And ever since I was a young child, I have been working on that.

When the ball connected, Irving raced off the bench to his teammates and was hounded close to midcourt while Jokic and his companions silently made their way to the Denver locker room.

“I was not going to dive into the muck,” stated Jason Kidd, the Dallas coach. “I gave it some thought. But I would have missed and fallen to the ground if I had known my luck. I was going to just hang out with those guys and celebrate. a great time. It ought to be enjoyable.

The Nuggets’ winning run of five games on the road came to an end. For the first time in the history of the team, they had won all five by double digits. This season, Denver is the only team with two winning road streaks of at least five games.

Denver (47-21) fell to 11-2 since the All-Star break and fell a half-game behind Oklahoma City for the top record in the West. With 26 seconds remaining in regulation, Kevin Durant of Phoenix made a game-winning three, forcing OT in the other loss.

When asked what he seen during the last play, Nuggets coach Michael Malone replied, “I saw Kyrie Irving make a running, left-handed hook from the elbow.” “We have experienced it from both angles.”

Jokic shot just six of sixteen points, while Murray scored twenty-three points. The Mavs frustrated Jokic. Jokic was upset with missed calls during the Mavs’ abundant first-half contact, despite his 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Malone was also, and after calling a timeout and walking across the court to voice his displeasure, he received a technical foul. Just before guard Reggie Jackson was called for a second, he came dangerously close to receiving one.

With eight minutes left, Irving and Doncic combined for a string of three-pointers to give Dallas a nine-point advantage. The lead grew to thirteen before the Nuggets began to rally.

The comeback was launched by 3-point shooter Michael Porter Jr., who scored 12 of his 20 points in the first quarter. With 1:05 remaining, Jokic brought the Nuggets within 102-102 with a hoop inside.

With his 11 rebounds, P.J. Washington Jr. had the most for Dallas since joining the team in a trade with Charlotte earlier this month. Denver was outrebounded by the Mavs 59-37. Dallas led 23-6 in second-chance points and had a season-high 21 offensive rebounds.

Malone remarked, “I can not recall the last time we were outrebounded by 22.”