The Boston Celtics, inspired by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, held off a furious Dallas rally to beat the Mavericks 106-99 on Wednesday and take a 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals. American power forward Tatum came out of his scoring slump to score 31 points. Brown scored 15 of his 30 points in a blistering third quarter, and the Celtics hung on for a record-setting 18th NBA championship title with just one victory away.
The Mavericks reduced their deficit from 91-70 early in the fourth quarter to one point with three and a half minutes remaining but failed to make an amazing comeback to secure a crucial victory. Boston, which now shares the record of 17 championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, can win the series in game four on Friday at Dallas. The Mavericks enter that game knowing full well that no team has come back from 3-0 down to win an NBA playoff series.
With their backs against the wall, the Mavericks trimmed a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit to two points with 1:20 remaining, when Kyrie Irving found Derrick Lively for a slashing slam that brought the Mavericks within 100-98. By then, Mavs star Luka Doncic could only watch in frustration. He fouled out with 4:12 left, picking up his fifth and sixth fouls in less than a minute.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd challenged both and lost, with Doncic leaving with the Mavericks behind by three points after being called for a blocking foul on Jrue Holiday. Dallas persisted but lacked the necessary resources. Brown blasted a jump jumper to extend the Celtics’ advantage to four, and after Irving missed a challenging three-pointer, White and Tatum each scored two free throws, allowing the Celtics to escape.
That was a big-time win for us, and I’m proud of how we played today. We’re not relaxing or whatever, Brown said. They had some momentum, but we kept our poise. We made timely baskets. We got some good shots going in, and we found a way to win, the American shooting guard added.
Irving shook off sub-par shooting performances in the first two games to lead the Mavericks with 35 points. Doncic finished with 27 points six rebounds and six assists before fouling out for just the third time in his career. It’s not over until it’s over. We simply need to believe. As I often say, it is first to four. We are going to stay together. We lose together and win together, said Doncic.
