The Boston Celtics couldn’t complete a sweep of the 2024 NBA Finals, falling to the Dallas Mavericks, 122-84, at American Airlines Center on Friday night.
Boston still holds a 3-1 lead, and will now look to close things out at TD Garden.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Celtics had an opportunity to make history Friday, needing just one more win to finally capture Banner 18.
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It could have been a special night for the C’s, but instead looked like they were under the impression this was a mid-April contest involving the Charlotte Hornets — and in this scenario, they’re the Hornets.
Boston couldn’t have played worse, falling behind 61-35 in what might have been one of its worst halves of the season. Jrue Holiday was uncharacteristically sloppy. Derrick White couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with a bazooka. Jaylen Brown forced up a ton of bad shots. Jayson Tatum played pretty well, but failed to set up his teammates like he had earlier in the series. It seemed as though everything that could have gone bad did.
Dallas is to blame for that.
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Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd talked about putting together a complete performance pregame, stressing the importance of tempo and finding a way to impact things on the defense. Luka Doncic got the message, adding some stellar defensive highlights to his customary box-score inflating. Maxi Kleber, Dante Exum and Dereck Lively II were the difference-makers, though, as their hustle and intensity was that of a desperate group of players who didn’t want to go home.
You likely wouldn’t have been shocked to hear the C’s made a run in the second half, but they didn’t. Oshae Brissett, Svi Mykhailiuk, Luke Kornet, Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser were all on the court together with three minutes left in the third quarter. That’s what happens when you suffer the third-largest loss in NBA Finals history.
The Mavs now have a sliver of hope heading back to Beantown.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Doncic heard the noise and responded accordingly. He finished with 29 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals.
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— Lively was insanely effective off the bench, grabbing 12 rebounds in just 22 minutes. He also chipped in with 11 points.
— Kyrie Irving had 21 points on 10-for-18 shooting, adding six assists and four rebounds.
UP NEXT
The Celtics’ next opportunity to put the Mavericks away will come in Game 5. The Larry O’Brien Trophy will be in attendance at TD Garden, with tip-off on Monday night scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.
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Featured image via Peter Casey/USA TODAY Sports Images
