NBA: Strus nets monster buzzer-beater; Thompson scores 25 as Curry blanked in first half

Max Strus drained an astonishing 58-foot buzzer-beater as the Cleveland Cavaliers conjured a stunning late fightback to sink the Dallas Mavericks 121-119 on Tuesday.

In a remarkable finale in Cleveland, Strus unleashed a mammoth heave from inside his own half to snatch victory from Dallas, who had grabbed a 119-118 lead with just over two seconds remaining in the game.

Strus's miraculous effort was the final act of a thrilling fourth quarter rally by Cleveland, who trailed by 10 with under four minutes left after a superb 45-point performance from Mavs ace Luka Doncic.

Strus was the catalyst for the Cavs turnaround, reeling off four straight three-pointers to allow Cleveland to get within one at 113-112 with two minutes and 35 seconds remaining.

Back-to-back threes from Donovan Mitchell put Cleveland 118-115 up, but Dallas hit back to regain a one-point lead after a Kyrie Irving jump shot and a P.J. Washington layup.

That set the stage for Strus to unfurl his game-winning three-quarter-court effort to spark pandemonium amongst the home crowd in Cleveland.

"That was awesome," Strus said afterwards. "Great win, we needed it. We've been struggling so it's good to get one like that.

"We fought, and fought, and fought ... We want to win every game and we want to keep winning."

Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff praised Strus's role in sparking the late rally when it looked as if the game had slipped away.

"The way that he plays the game with a determination, a never-give-in mentality and attitude that inspires his teammates every single day," Bickerstaff said.

In other games on Tuesday, the league-leading Boston Celtics extended their winning streak to nine games after a 117-99 defeat of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Jaylen Brown (31 points), Jayson Tatum (29) and Kristaps Porzingis (23) led the way for Boston, who improved to 46-12 and now lead second-placed Cleveland by 7.5 games.

Klay Thompson scored 25 points on a forgettable evening for Stephen Curry, fellow reserve Chris Paul demonstrated his value to the Warriors in his first game in seven weeks, and Golden State beat the Washington Wizards 123-112.

"You've got two Hall of Famers in the backcourt coming off the bench," Thompson said. "That's such a rare feat, so we take pride in that."

Curry was held scoreless in the first half for the first time in the regular season since November 23, 2012, against Denver.

Paul, who missed 21 games with a fractured left hand that required surgery, played with the fresh legs of a rested 38-year-old.

"As a team, as a unit, we have so much depth, so many different ways that we can play, it's going to take us a little while to figure it out," Paul said. "But obviously you want to figure it out and win at the same time."

Before the game, the Warriors announced a contract extension for coach Steve Kerr, which he confirmed was for two years. The AP previously reported it was for $35 million.

(With input from agencies)