MEMPHIS – The spot on the FedEx Forum has become synonymous with Dallas Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes.
The spot is on the right wing, and about 30 feet from the basket. The last time the Mavs played in FedEx Forum – on Nov. 22, 2017 — that’s the spot where Barnes banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer and the Mavs skipped off the court and went home with an electrifying 95-94 victory over the stunned Grizzlies.
Asked after Monday’s shootaround if he remembers the last time he played at FedEx Forum, Barnes said: “Yeah. We won a nice little game.”
The Mavs led that game, 92-87, with 1:10 left. But the Grizzlies went on a 7-0 run capped when JaMychal Green grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed shot by Tyreke Evans and dunked it.
Green’s basket was originally ruled no good because of offensive goaltending. But a review by the officials on instant play gave the basket to the Grizzlies (and a 94-92 lead) with just 0.5 seconds remaining in the game.
However, that was more than enough time for Barnes to receive an inbounds pass from Dennis Smith Jr. and work his magic.
When asked if he knew the shot was going in when he released the ball, Barnes said: “It felt good. It felt like a clean look, so I was happy.”
Asked if he called “bank,” Barnes laughed and said: “I didn’t call bank. No, I didn’t call bank.”
Barnes ended that game with a game-high 22 points and a team-high nine rebounds in 35 minutes. And the game-winner he delivered was his only 3-pointer of the night in three attempts.
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