Luka Doncic’s late magic on Tuesday night provided the Dallas Mavericks second victory in the In-season Tournament. The Mavs stepped into the game without a chance at the trophy but had the opportunity to shatter the Houston Rockets‘ chance. And they did exactly the same. While Doncic played a huge role in the Rockets’ defeat, it was Dillon Brooks who took the blame for his blunder in the fourth quarter.

The Rockets have a spotlight on them this season, because of their ability to upset big teams. They have already beat the defending champions twice and shut down the LA Lakers once with a 128-94 blowout. Names like Dillon Brooks, Alperen Sengun, and Fred VanVleet stepped up their performances in those games. However, in a crunch game to qualify for the quarter finals, Brooks’ mistake at the end cost them the trip to Las Vegas.

Dillon Brooks owns up to his mistakes

Up until the final few minutes of the game, it was a neck-to-neck. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving took care of the offence from one end and the Rockets equally countered attacked with crunch buckets. Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. were pick of the lot for the Rockets, dropping 31 and 16 points, respectively.

Not to forget Dillon Brooks’ 16 points contribution as well.  Despite his contribution, the 27-year-old’s blunder near the three-point arc disappointed the Rockets’ coach Ime Udoka. With over 3 minutes left in the game, the Mavs were up by 6 points, Brooks fouled Derrick Jones Jr. at the 3-point line. Jones dropped all three free throws, leaving Udoka visibly upset.

Following the 121-115 loss, Brooks took a few questions from the reporters in the locker room. One of the reporters asked about the Rockets’ coach Ime Udoka’s frustration on him. Interestingly, Brooks owned up to his mistakes. He said, “Yea that was stupid of me. That’s like some year three sh*t. Take that as ownership at a point we were down three. I take that wholeheartedly.”

With that loss, the Rockets’ chance at the In-season Tournament trophy came to an end. However, Brooks has come out as an improved player for the Rockets after his exit from the Memphis Grizzlies.

Read More – Dillon Brooks Takes a Jibe at Ex-Team Grizzlies After Poor Start to the Season: “They Have No Swagger”

Moreover, it wasn’t the one factor that cost them the game. Doncic produced a masterclass in the last quarter of the game.

Luka Doncic delivers once again

Apart from scoring 41 points with 9 rebounds and 9 assists, he also had his tail up while going against Brooks. The Slovenian star got animated several times and had a few words exchanged in the intense battle. Importantly, he recreated one of the iconic moments from the NBA history. In an intense attempt to hold on to the possession of the ball, Luka struggled near the paint against the three Rockets defender and eventually dropped a skyhook. While getting back to his defense position, he created Michael Jordan’s iconic shrug celebration.

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What do you make of Dillon Brooks response to the late foul in the game? Let us know in the comments below.