DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks earned a 147-136 victory over the Houston Rockets in overtime on Sunday. It was a physical game that saw both teams battle throughout. In the end, Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic led the way while Dante Exum connected on a buzzer-beater three-pointer in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime.

“It was a great moment,” Doncic said of the Mavs celebration after the hard-fought win. “Like I said, chemistry is big, so it was a great moment for everybody.”

Trust has been pivotal for the Mavs. Again, Doncic and Irving receive most of the focus from opposing defenses. However, with just a few seconds remaining on the shot-clock in the fourth quarter and Dallas trailing 129-126, Luka passed the ball to Exum after getting double-teamed.

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Doncic and the Mavs believe in Exum. Kyrie and Luka believe in their teammates. And that is what makes a winning team. In order to find success, you need to buy into the entire product, not just a few players.

“Yeah, same as for a while now. We all trust each other,” Doncic said. “Trust is big. Chemistry is big.”

So did Luka think about taking the shot in the fourth quarter?

“I mean, I was going to shoot it but then I saw two people on me. So I saw Dante open, of course I'm going to pass it. That's the trust we have right now.”

The Mavs utilized a team win without question. Luka Doncic recorded 37 points, 12 assists, and nine rebounds in the game. His statistics are typically impressive, but he is willing to help others shine as well.

Mavericks are taking care of business

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) smiles during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at American Airlines Center.
Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports

Dallas has won 14 of their past 16 games. The Mavs currently hold the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference. They have found their groove at the right time, but the job is not finished yet.

Dallas is currently two games ahead of the No. 6 Phoenix Suns and No. 7 New Orleans Pelicans. With three games remaining, anything can happen. The Mavs will play back-to-back road games on Tuesday and Wednesday against the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat, and those will certainly be important contests.

Staying out of the NBA Play-In Tournament is important if possible, something Luka addressed as well.

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“That would help everybody,” Doncic said of staying out of the play-in tournament.

Kyrie Irving, who scored 48 points to lead Dallas, commented on the Mavericks' chemistry and trust as well.

“Here in a team sport… When you can celebrate those moments as a team because you knew what it took,” Irving said. “You know, we were in that locker room at halftime looking at each other. ‘What are we going to do to get back into this game?' When they got off to that 22-point lead we're looking at each other… It just means something when you can come out with a win like that.

“It is a regular season game, but we know the position that we're in… Just kind of know what it means to come out on the other side of the matchup tonight victorious.”

After the game, the Mavericks celebrated by coming together as a team. There are no guarantees as to what will occur in the postseason. Of course, there will be no shortage of talented and motivated teams.

Right now, though, the Mavs are getting the job done in multiple facets of the game. And the chemistry is unparalleled at the moment.