MILWAUKEE -- With Dirk Nowitzki taking the night off, everybody in the BMO Harris Bradley Center knew the Dallas Mavericks were going to go to Monta Ellis in a tie game with 8.9 seconds left.
But it didn't matter.
Despite O.J. Mayo defending the play well, Ellis hit an incredible game-winning shot as the buzzer sounded to send the Mavericks to a 107-105 victory over the Bucks.
As the officials went to the monitor to review whether Ellis got the shot off in time, Milwaukee's entire coaching staff was on the floor motioning for a travel. After the replay was shown on the scoreboard, Mayo tried approaching the officials while they were reviewing the play but was restrained by Bucks assistant coach Joe Prunty.
"He made a tough shot," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. "Walk or not a walk, they counted the basket."
A potential traveling violation can't be looked at on replay. The officials could only review whether Ellis got the shot off in time, which he clearly did.
"I think he (traveled), but the refs didn't think he did," Bucks forward Khris Middleton said. "So they got the win."
Although he hit a game-winning shot on the road against his former team, Ellis left without talking to the media. He moved quickly through the BMO Harris Bradley Center hallway with his headphones on, yelling, "Not tonight!" to reporters seeking comment.
He did stop and talk to the Mavericks television broadcast after hitting the shot.
"Coach called the play for me to get an iso," Ellis told the Mavericks television broadcast. "He wanted me to take the last shot so I just took my time. I just faded to try and get a shot and was able to see the basket."
Mayo also was cleared out of the locker room before the media was let in, but a reporter caught him in the hallway to ask if he felt Ellis traveled on the shot that won the game for Dallas.
"I don't know, man," Mayo said.
Ellis' game-winning shot capped an impressive four-game road trip for the former Bucks guard. Even though Nowitzki sat out two of the four games, Dallas went 4-0 on the trip thanks to Ellis averaging 27.3 points per game.
The 29-year-old hit three free throws with one second left to force overtime and then buried a clutch 3-pointer to put Dallas up by one with 39 seconds left in overtime in the Mavericks' 132-129 victory in Chicago on Tuesday.
"The load he has carried on this trip has been phenomenal," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "Winning two games without Dirk . . . Monta Ellis is having some kind of year.
"It is not going to be an easy shot at the end of the game. He waited a little longer than I expected him to wait, but you know what -- if the ball is in the air when the buzzer goes off, they have no chance to come back down. He just made a phenomenal play, that is all you can say. They will be watching that shot on SportsCenter for the next day and a half."
For the second straight night, the Bucks were unable to pull out a victory despite playing a quality opponent tough. Milwaukee let an 11-point third quarter lead slip away in a 111-108 loss in Cleveland on Tuesday and led 98-90 with 4:23 to play Wednesday.
Milwaukee turned the ball over four times in the final four minutes.
"They have to go through it," Kidd said. "This is the first time they've been in this position, playing very good teams and being able to close the door, understanding each possession means something and leads to something. This is a great lesson for us to learn from and get better."
Middleton committed a bad foul on Tyson Chandler's layup with 4:07 left, sending the Mavericks center to the line for a chance at a 3-point play. Chandler missed the free throw, but Jabari Parker had the rebound ripped from his hands leading to an Ellis jumper.
Trailing 99-95 with 2:39 left, Dallas point guard Jameer Nelson hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to one. After Parker was called for a travel at the other end, Ellis drove to the hoop to give the Mavericks a 100-99 lead.
Bucks guard Brandon Knight scored six points in the final minute, including a 20-foot, step-back jumper over Chandler to tie the game with 8.9 seconds to play.
But Ellis had the last laugh, hitting the winner before being mobbed by his teammates in front of a stunned BMO Harris Bradley Center crowd.
"It was close (to a travel), but those are the shots he takes and makes consistently," Bucks center Larry Sanders said. "I thought O.J. played some good defense on him. He spun out of it.
"Whether he traveled or not, he got the shot off in time and made it. That's who he is for the Mavericks."
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