Boston had a chance to win Banner No. 18 — and lost by 38 points. So what happened? Our experts break it down.
The NBA Finals will not end in a sweep as Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks put on a show in a dominating Game 4 win against the Boston Celtics.
The emphatic 122-84 win at American Airlines Center gave the Mavs their first win of the series, with Dončić putting up 29 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists and Kyrie Irving contributing 21 points and 6 assists. Celtics duo Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were held to 15 and 10 points, respectively, their lowest of the series.
The Celtics still have a 3-1 advantage as the series heads back to Boston for Game 5 at TD Garden, where the team will aim to close the series and win their 18th NBA championship. Dallas took the first step in what will be an steep, uphill battle against the Celtics — no NBA team has overcome a three-game deficit to win a playoff series.
How did the Mavericks bounce back to get their first win of the series? What went amiss for the Celtics and what do they need to get back on course? Our NBA insiders break down Dallas’ dominating performance and what to expect for Monday’s Game 5 (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
Tim MacMahon: Luka Dončić was locked in, and the Mavs followed his lead. Dončić heard the criticism following Game 3 and responded the right way. He avoided the distraction of complaining to officials, instead pouring that energy into defensive effort and interacting with his teammates. He efficiently attacked offensively too, scoring 22 of his 29 points in the paint. Dončić’s focused, fighting spirit was infectious. The Mavs, especially rookie big man Dereck Lively II, followed suit and physically dominated the Celtics.
Chris Herring: Everyone, Dončić included, finally embraced the challenge of sitting down and defending the Celtics when they put the ball on the floor. Kyrie Irving battled with Jayson Tatum, forcing the All-NBA wing into a charge call. The Mavs swarmed during a separate Boston possession and the Celtics got whistled for a shot-clock violation. Most notably, perhaps, was the fact that Dončić competed on defense, forcing misses on the Celtics’ first six attempts with him serving as the primary defender. (He forced Jrue Holiday — someone who hadn’t committed a single turnover all series — into four turnovers when serving as Holiday’s primary defender.) Those elements helped Dallas hold the Celtics to just 35 points in the first half — their lowest-scoring half under head coach Joe Mazzulla.
Ramona Shelburne: I knew something was different when Dereck Lively II hit a 3-pointer (his first and just his third attempt all season) in the first quarter. There are all sorts of reasons Dallas lost the first three games of this series, but one of the biggest was just simple math.
