Mavs Crush Celtics, Force a Game 5 at Boston

With the Larry O'Brien trophy in the building and a tentative Boston Celtics championship ceremony set in place, the Dallas Mavericks keep their season alive, turning in by far their best effort of the NBA Finals for a Game 5 showdown in Boston.

Securing their first win of the 2024 NBA Finals to avoid a 4-0 sweep, the Mavs were clicking on all cylinders for them to improve to 3-1 in the series. Stringing together defensive stops on one end of the floor while their offense attacked the rim on the other, the Mavs finished with 60 points in the paint. The Celtics conceded 17 points off 14 turnovers and surrendered 13 offensive rebounds that converted into second-chance points. Dallas eventually opened up a 48-point lead.

By the 3:18 mark in the third quarter, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla had seen enough. He pulled his starters and emptied his bench.

Luka Doncic finished with a game-high 29 points, five assists, and three steals. Kyrie Irving added 21 points and six assists, while Derek Lively II's double-double (11 points, 12 rebounds) pushed Dallas to out-rebound its opponent by 21 (52-31).

"Preparation doesn't guarantee an automatic success," Mazzulla said after the loss. "And so I thought we had a great process. I thought we had a great shootaround. Thought we had a great film session yesterday. I thought the guys came out with the right intentions. I just didn't think it went our way, and I thought Dallas outplayed us. They just played harder."

- Joe Mazzulla

Jayson Tatum finished with 15 points, Sam Hauser connected on four treys (4-for-6), while Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday each chipped in 10 points apiece but made no impact in closing the gap Dallas essentially created from the jump. Outscoring the Celtics 34-21 in the opening frame before holding Boston to a 14-point second quarter, the Mavericks' defense forced Boston to shoot less than 40% from the floor throughout most of the night before settling at a 36.3% clip.

"You have to give them credit. It's not about us," Mazzulla said. "It's about our opponent and having respect for them. And you have to give them credit for how well they played, and that's the most important thing. So, it's less about us and more about how they played. They played well. They played hard. We have to be more disciplined in how we defend and attack them."

- Joe Mazzulla

Friday's loss snapped the Celtics' impressive ten-game postseason win streak. They hadn't lost since dropping Game 2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 9.

Boston will get its second chance to clinch an NBA title in Game 5 on Monday, June 17 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

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