With only five minutes left in the third quarter, player P.J. Washington attempted to give the Dallas Mavericks a one-point lead over the Boston Celtics by draining a three-pointer. The Celtics instantly led by 21 points and easily won Friday night at TD Garden, 138-110.
In a game that tested the Dallas Mavericks’ ability to compete against one of the best teams in the NBA, a flurry of three-pointers from the Celtics and too many missed attempts at crucial times by Dallas aided the Dallas Mavericks. Ultimately, the Celtics strengthened their record to 47-12 overall and 28-3 at home, demonstrating to viewers across the country on ESPN why they are the most successful team in the NBA.
The Mavericks’ point guard Luka Doncic described the Celtics as “the best team in the NBA.” “We played really well for the first three quarters, but it’s hard to win here, especially against this team.”
The turning point for the Dallas Mavericks occurred when they were down 81-79, and Washington missed a three-point shot, giving them a chance to lead for the first time since the first quarter. After that, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum scored consecutive three-pointers, and Boston quickly gained momentum.
Kristaps Porzingis, a former Mavericks center, scored two baskets in a row. After three quarters, Tatum’s three-pointer and an offensive rebound and put-back basket by Al Horford increased Boston’s lead to 102-90.
Shortly after, with 3:55 remaining, the Celtics led 127-103 because of three consecutive three-pointers from Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, and Horford.
The Mavericks lost this game that served as a yardstick for Dallas. They dropped to 34-36 overall heading into Sunday’s noon game at American Airlines Center against the Philadelphia 76ers, ending this four-game road trip with a record of 1-3.
About the Celtics, Kidd remarked, “They don’t panic.” “Stress is absent. They’ll continue to share the ball and play their current style. “It’s infrequent to see a team like that with five shooters in this league,” the player said.
The Celtics made 21 of 43 three-pointers for a 48.8 percent field goal percentage and shot 55.3 percent overall.
Dereck Lively II, a rookie center for the Dallas Mavericks who finished with 15 points and two steals, said of the club, “They’re an amazing team.” “One through nine can make threes, “It’s challenging to play against a team like that. We made a concerted effort to reduce the number of threes they had. Our goal was to make their threes as challenging as we could.
With 13 of his 24 points, including four three-pointers, in the first quarter, former Mav Porzingis put the Celtics on the right track. Including 4 of 8 from downtown, he concluded the evening 8 of 14 from the field.
Kidd remarked, “He can get to the free throw line, put the ball on the floor, and shoot the three.” “He can change or block shots defensively, and he can also rebound.”And he engages in some more significant plays. He’s had a fantastic season for them, so it’s a beautiful pickup.
Tatum only had two free throws in the first quarter of the game on Friday, but he was sixth in the league in scoring per game going into it.
Tatum started to heat up, scoring 30 of his 32 points in the last three quarters. The Celtics found a rhythm when Brown added 25 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. The Dallas Mavericks could not take advantage of the opportunities offered.
They make a fantastic team, Kidd remarked. They had ten three-pointers at the half. In my opinion, we performed marginally better there in the third quarter. However, they can harm you if you don’t use a few assets, and they did just that in the fourth. Although we didn’t enjoy the game, we learned much about ourselves. While there are still some issues to address, the progress is positive. We’re closer than the scores indicate, but once more, you have to seize the opportunity if they make a mistake and we fail to do so.
As he recorded his second consecutive triple-double, the 12th of the season and the 68th of his remarkable career, Dončić showed off his incredible skill. Dončić finished with a final line of 37 points, 14 of 25 from the field, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists.
Kyrie Irving scored 19 points for the Mavs while shooting 9 of 23 from the field. Washington also assisted the Mavs (17 points, 7 rebounds).
However, it was insufficient because the Mavericks needed help to overcome the Celtics’ extreme intensity.
Dončić remarked, “I think we played very good basketball for three quarters.” “They scored 21 threes.”
And those threes were game-changing, particularly in situations where the Mavericks played strong defense and a Celtic broke free to shoot a wide-open three from downtown.
Kidd stated, “You can’t have offensive lapses against them, and you can’t have defensive lapses against them, or they’ll make you pay from the three-point line, which is what they did.” “It’s a two-point game, and we kind of let our mistakes on both ends get away from us.” Give them due credit. They make a fantastic team.
Boston was ahead 38–32 at the half and 66–59 at the break. That night, the Celtics proved too formidable, unreliable, and mysterious.
“Our goals were to reach specific locations, obtain specific shots, and obtain various matchups,” stated Lively. “We have to be able to just stay focused in games like that.”
The Dallas Mavericks’ poor shooting performance—25 of their 34 tries from three-point range and a 47-42 rebounding disadvantage—did not aid their cause. Kidd was questioned about how his squad fared in the interim versus the Celtics, who had the most fantastic win-loss record in the NBA.
Kidd declared, “I think we can compete with the best.” Regardless of the score, we have the talent to compete. All you need to do is be persistent and realize that winning in this league is difficult. This league has demanded clubs to defeat. It’s okay to play flawlessly; instead, you must maintain unity and consistency, and that’s what we, along with everyone else in this league, strive to achieve.
The Mavs fought hard before things went south, even though this was the last game of a week-long, four-game road trip during which legs frequently grew heavy, and attention was occasionally focused on simply wanting to return home.
We were concentrated, Kidd remarked. “We did some nice things. We had the opportunity to view it again on film. Sadly, we don’t have time to practice because our game is on Sunday at midnight. That’s just the way things are. Coming from the East Coast, this is a short turnaround, and the performance is scheduled for Sunday at noon. It’s difficult.
Watch more trends in the world.
