THE Dallas Mavericks gave the Boston Celtics a big scare in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, but ultimately lost 106-99 on Wednesday.
Luka Doncic, who was called for his sixth foul with just over four minutes remaining, watched helplessly from the sideline as Kyrie Irving alone wasn’t enough to overturn Boston’s 21-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Jaylen Brown took over in the second half after Jayson Tatum kept the Celtics in the game in the first half. Tatum’s 20 points early in the game prevented the Mavericks from building a big lead. Brown’s 24 points after the break were the boost the visitors needed to lead 3-0 in the series.
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Boston Celtics vs. Dallas Mavericks Player Stats and Box Scores
Boston Celtics Player Stats and Box Scores
Dallas Mavericks Player Stats and Box Scores
Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks match summary
The Dallas Mavericks came out with a bang, taking a 22-9 lead midway through the first quarter. It seemed that Boston Celtics couldn’t do anything right, missing wide-open shots and failing to match the hosts’ energy. However, the Cs slowly fought back to come within 31-30 after the first 12 minutes.
Jayson Tatum, after scoring a combined 13 points in the first half of Games 1 and 2, held the Celtics in Game 3 with 20 points. The visitors needed every one of those points after Irving and Luka Doncic scattered 37 points together during the same stretch. Boston only trailed 51-50 before the halftime break.
The Boston Celtics had their best 12 minutes on play three of the third quarter. Behind Jaylen BrownWith 14 points and solid team defense, Boston won the game 35-19. After trailing by 13 points in the first half, the Cs entered the final quarter with an 85-70 advantage.
Boston continued to do the same to start the fourth quarter behind back-to-back 3-pointers from Brown and Derrick White. Mavs coach Jason Kidd was forced into an early timeout when the lead grew to 91-70.
The ceasefire worked like a charm as the Mavericks regrouped to go on a crippling 22-2 run. Kyrie IrvingThe 17-foot jumper cut the deficit to 93-92. However, Dallas was forced to try to complete the rally without Luka Doncic, who was booked for his sixth foul with 4:12 remaining.
Brown and White came to Boston’s aid again to give the Boston Celtics a little more breathing room. The first warned of a failure by Jayson Tatum and the last 3-pointer made the score 98-92.
The Dallas Mavericks staged their final rally to make it 100-98 after Derek Lively II’s dunk. Another basket from Jaylen Brown and four free throws from Derrick White and Tatum sealed the victory for the Celtics.
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic 3 points tonight
Jayson Tatum was very aggressive, lifting 13 shots from deep and connecting with four of them. Jaylen Brown backed it up with a 2-for-9 clip.
Luka Doncic had a miserable night from long range, scoring just 1 of 7 attempts. Kyrie Irving carried the sticks for the Mavs from behind the arc, making 4 of 6 attempts.