NBA Finals: Mavericks steamroll Celtics to force Game 5

The Dallas Mavericks might still be down 3-1, but they made a very convincing argument Friday night to not count them out of the NBA Finals.

Over the course of 48 minutes, the Mavericks delivered one of the most unholy beatdowns in NBA playoff history with a 122-84 win over the Celtics, emphatically forcing a Game 5 in Boston on Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC).

The Celtics might have three more tries to put away Dallas, but they clearly have plenty to figure out if they want to celebrate an NBA record 18th championship. In fact, this game was so one-sided, the Mavericks have now outscored them across all four games of the series.

There was no shortage of history made during the game. The 38-point margin is the third-biggest blowout in Finals history, with the lead peaking at 47 points. The Celtics’ 35 points at halftime were the fewest they’ve scored in a half under head coach Joe Mazzulla. Luka Dončić’s 25 points at halftime were the most ever by a Maverick in a Finals half.

The game was so over in the third quarter that the Celtics pulled their starters, with the Mavericks soon following suit and then their reserves, such as Tim Hardaway Jr., continuing the carnage.

It still counts as only one win, though. The Celtics will enter Game 5 with home-court advantage, more rest than expected and, potentially, an available Kristaps Porziņģis. The Latvian big man didn’t play a minute in Game 4 despite reportedly being available “if necessary,” and his presence alone would represent an easy adjustment for Boston to make.

Dončić finished with 29 points on 12-of-26 shooting and added five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Kyrie Irving had 21 points on 10-of-18 shooting with six assists and four rebounds.

Here’s how it all went down:

Live56 updates

Sat, June 15, 2024 at 5:01 a.m. GMT+2

Mavs wallop Celtics, 122-84

And that’s it, Dallas wins Game 4, 122-84, with Game 5 back in Boston on Monday with the Celtics leading the series 3-1. It’s the third-largest margin of victory in NBA Finals history.

Sat, June 15, 2024 at 4:55 a.m. GMT+2

Tim Hardaway Jr. coming alive

With the game decided, Tim Hardaway Jr. has hit five 3s with…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-06-14 23:00:28

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