Mavericks cover the spread vs. Rockets after wild end-of-game sequence

Tuesday night was filled with wild NBA In-Season Tournament games and one incredible cover.

The Mavericks hosted the Rockets on Tuesday as four-point home favorites during each team’s final game of the league’s new endeavor.

With less than a minute in the game, the spread was still in the balance.

Down117-112 with just 8.4 seconds on the clock, Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr. hit a 3-pointer to put his team down by two — enough to cover but not win the game.

The Rockets pressured the inbound pass, but they struggled to keep track of all five Mavericks on the court.

Derrick Jones Jr. was left wide open on the other side of the court, pouring in a breakaway layup to put Dallas up by four.

But it didn’t end there.

Houston raced up the court and Fred VanVleet pulled up for three with just a couple of ticks left.

The ball clanked off the rim and into the hands of Luka Doncic, seemingly ending the game and securing a push on the spread.

That wasn’t all, though.

With the game all but over, Rockets center Alperen Sengun fouled Doncic as he came down with a rebound with less than a second left, sending the Slovenian superstar to the free-throw line.

Doncic made both free throws, pushing the score to 121-115 — handing Dallas the cover after the Rockets seemingly had it in hand — twice.

The NBA In-Season Tournament has added some excitement to what used to be a dull part of the regular season, but if you’re betting on games like last night’s Mavericks-Rockets contest, the excitement — or heartbreak — never wanes.