The Mavericks‘ slide down the Western Conference standings continued Sunday, losing a heartbreaker to the Hawks in overtime, 132-130. It marked Dallas' eighth loss in its last nine games, and the team moved into the 11th seed in the West.
A crucial missed free throw from JaVale McGee with less than one second left in regulation sent the game to overtime, from where Atlanta was able to pull away.
McGee, who has only averaged 8.1 minutes across 39 games this season, took accountability for his late free-throw miss, comparing his opportunity in the big moment to a movie -- one which is headed straight to DVD.
"In hindsight that's what movies are made of, not playing the whole season. Then coming down to you hitting those two free-throws for the win. Unfortunately I missed one of them and it went into OT. Yeah, that movie's going straight to DVD. It's not coming out," said McGee after the Mavs' loss, via Brad Townsend of Dallas Morning News.
JaVale McGee: "In hindsight that's what movies are made of, not playing the whole season. Then coming down to you hitting those two free-throws for the win. Unfortunately I missed one of them and it went into OT. Yeah, that movie's going straight to DVD. It's not coming out."
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) April 3, 2023
Despite scarcely being in the rotation for much of the season and only seeing the floor in four of Dallas' last 19 games, McGee found himself with a potential game-winning trip to the free-throw line after Clint Capela fouled him on a last-second inbounds play.
McGee missed the first of the two free throws, eliminating any chance for the Mavs to win in regulation. He forced overtime by making the second attempt, before Dallas eventually lost in OT.
The 35-year-old came up short during a crucial moment for the Mavs as they vie to stay in contention for the play-in tournament. He took accountability for his shortcomings at the line, indicating that his "movie" was a box office flop.
