DSJ loses part of a tooth, then helps Mavs win with key play in final seconds

Maybe someone should have told Dennis Smith Jr. that the hockey game at American Airlines Center was scheduled for Monday night, not Sunday.

Smith, though, made like a hockey player after losing half of one of his front teeth, and the Dallas Mavericks again beat a playoff contender with Smith making the defensive play of the game in waning seconds.

The second-year guard blocked a Tobias Harris shot near the bucket that would have tied the game with 12 second to go, then iced a 114-10 victory with two free throws as the Dallas Mavericks dispatched the Los Angeles Clippers.

Harrison Barnes led all scorers with 30 points, and DeAndre Jordan scored 16 points and grabbed 23 rebounds against his old team. Smith, though, was the talk after the game after a chunk of tooth flew out of his mouth in the third quarter.

“I got my tooth knocked out, but I came back in looking pretty as a girl,” Smith said. “I saw the tooth flying out as soon as it happened. It was just a freak accident. It happens. I came back in the game, finished the game, and we got the win. That’s all that matters.”

Smith went to the floor for a loose ball with 3:10 left in the third quarter and was elbowed by Clippers guard Patrick Beverley. No foul was called and the play wasn’t reviewed, though replays showed a chunk of took coming out of Smith’s mouth and hitting the floor.

Smith headed to the locker room after the ensuing jump ball and returned with 10:45 remaining in the game. The Mavs, who were already without Luka Doncic, had repaired the tooth by affixing it back in place.

“It’s magic,” Smith said. “For real, my dad’s been hanging with Dr. Strange, so he’s got some magic.”

The Clippers scored on the next possession to cut the Mavs’ lead to two points, but Smith helped the Mavs push the tempo offensively, assisting on a crowd-pleasing alley-oop to Dorian Finney-Smith and hustling to grab as loose ball in transition when the Clippers were on the verge of taking their first lead of the second half.

Instead, the Mavs turned the steal into a bucket and a few minutes later had stretched their advantage to 105-97 with 5:15 to go before seeing the Clippers use a 10-2 run to forge a 107-107 tie with 1:15 remaining.

Jordan put back a Barnes miss on the next Mavs possession for a two-point edge, and Finney-Smith tipped in a miss as the Mavs reclaimed the lead at 111-110 on their next trip down the floor after Lou Williams’ 3-pointer.

The Clippers gave the ball to Harris on a switch on their next possession, and Harris backed down the shorter Smith. But Smith blocked Harris’ shot as he went up in front of the bucket.

Smith was fouled and went down the floor to stroke two free throws.

“It was just effort, giving maximum effort,” Smith said. “I got a block and got a rebound.”

Coach Rick Carlisle was a little more effusive with his praise of Smith’s effort after returning and the final play.

“I thought it was one of the best competitive things I’ve seen in a while,” Carlisle said. “The last play of the game, I mean, that’s amazing stuff right there.”

This story was originally published December 2, 2018 at 9:37 PM.