The Dallas Mavericks managed to secure a thrilling victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday. Unfortunately, power forward Dirk Nowitzki came short of eclipsing NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
Nowitzki was just three points shy of passing Chamberlain during the 121-116 win over Cleveland. According to Dorthy J. Gentry of Texas Metro News, he admitsr
“I was going for it there. Just didn’t have the hot hand down the stretch,” Nowitzki said.”Forced it a little bit and didn't really have any great looks. But, hey, it is what it is. They didn't go in. We won the game and we're moving on.
Nowitzki entered the season needing just 232 points to slide into the No. 6 spot. His scoring campaign got off to a bit of a slow start after missing the first 26 games of the year due to an ankle injury. The opportunity finally arrived for him to surpass Chamberlain against Cleveland.
The night got off to a rough start for Nowitzki. He was finally able to catch fire for Dallas in the fourth quarter after scoring 10 points in a span of just under two minutes. The veteran did all he could to keep his rhythm going down the final stretch of the game, however, he ultimately missed his final five shots of the game.
Although he was able to help the Mavs take home a win, passing Chamberlain would have undoubtedly been the cherry on top. Nowitzki will now look to get it done early on against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday.
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