Mavericks' Luka Dončić on Circus Shot vs. Nets: 'I Don't Know How I Made It'

Luka Dončić surprised himself with his circus shot that proved to be the difference for the Dallas Mavericks in their 125-120 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night.

With the score tied at 120 in the final 30 seconds and the shot clock winding down, Dončić threw up a one-handed prayer from behind the arc that banked off the glass and through the net. He made threes on four straight Mavs possessions to will his team to a win.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Dončić admitted he was surprised the shot went in.

"I saw there was like two or three seconds left—gotta put it up," he said. "Better touch the rim so we can have a chance to get the rebound. I don't know how I made it."

The Mavs are off to a 2-0 start thanks in large part to the efforts of their superstar point guard.

Dončić became the third player in NBA history to have a 30-point triple-double in his team's first game of the season in Wednesday's victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

Friday was more of the same from Dončić, though he didn't quite get to a triple-double by finishing with "only" seven assists. The four-time All-Star dropped 49 points on 16-of-25 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds in 36 minutes.

The Mavericks needed all 49 of those points from Dončić because they didn't get much from anyone else. Kyrie Irving struggled to get in a rhythm, finishing with 17 points on just 6-of-17 shooting from the field.

Irving is off to a slow start this season. He's made just 39 percent of his attempts overall and is just 2-of-12 from three-point range through two games.

The four non-Dončić starters for the Mavs scored a total of 35 points. Rookie center Dereck Lively II was a bright spot in that group with nine points on 4-of-4 shooting in just 17 minutes.

Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 19 points and was plus-13 in 30 minutes off the bench for head coach Jason Kidd.

Dallas' ability to rack up these wins in games with Irving not playing well is a good sign for the team this season. This group struggled down the stretch last season before essentially packing it in to improve its lottery position.

If Dončić is going to keep playing at this level and make circus shots like he did in crunch time on Friday, the Mavericks are going to be a very difficult team to contend with in the Western Conference.