Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
What Stood Out from Celtics' Loss vs. Mavericks: Boston Outplayed in Second Half
The energy in the arena was electric, as fans, franchise legends, and Isiah Thomas came to show love for Kevin Garnett, whose No. 5 took its place among the Celtics' legends whose numbers became immortalized in the TD Garden rafters.
Sometimes, you want something so badly, like to earn a win for Kevin Garnett on a day dedicated to honoring him, that instead of providing a boost, it becomes an obstacle you have to work through.
That's what the Celtics experienced in the first quarter, and while they got past it, they had a more difficult time dealing with the physicality of Dallas' defense. It also seemed like how hard Boston plays and the relentless nature of the NBA schedule contributed to their fatigue.
In any case, the Celtics' 95-92 loss to Dallas brings their record to 41-28. At the moment, they're one game behind the Bulls and Sixers and 1.5 back of the second-seeded Bucks. Philadelphia is still playing at the time of this writing, though.
Now, for what stood out from Sunday's defensive-oriented game between Boston and Dallas.
Celtics Disjointed in Opening Frame
Perhaps it stemmed from the energy that comes with the desire to get a win on the day Kevin Garnett's No.5 was getting raised to the TD Garden rafters, but offensively, the Celtics were disjointed.
Boston committed five turnovers, often making sloppy passes trying to produce points in transition.
There was also an injury scare as Mavericks' star Luka Doncic reached for his hamstring following a drive to the basket. Doncic left the game briefly, but he returned to generate 26 points and eight assists, both game-highs, and lead his team with eight rebounds.
Jaylen Brown Helps Celtics Take a Nine-Point Lead into Halftime
Jaylen Brown was at the center of an 8-2 Celtics run in the second quarter, including delivering two thunderous dunks.
After the second one, in which he put Maxi Kleber on a poster, he dapped up Kevin Garnett as the energy in TD Garden amplified considerably.
That run helped Boston outscore the Mavericks 27-20 in the second quarter and take a 47-38 lead into the break. At the conclusion of a defensive-driven first half, the Celtics were shooting just 40.9 percent from the field, including 4/16 (25 percent) from three.
What helped is Boston had grabbed eight offensive rebounds, which led to them generating 13 second-chance points compared to two from the visitors. While it wasn't a crisp first half as the Celtics assisted on six of their 18 made field goals and had eight turnovers, they found ways to overcome that, producing nine points off eight Dallas turnovers. And while they didn't shoot the ball well, they scored 28 in the paint.
At the break, Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 17 points. He was 5/13 (38.5 percent) from the field, including 3/6 from beyond the arc. He was also 4/5 on free throws, and he had a game-high seven rebounds.
As for Brown, he had seven points, going 3/8 (37.5 percent) from the floor, pulling in three rebounds, dishing out two assists, and earning a game-high plus-14 plus-minus rating.
Someone else who gave significant contributions, on both ends, to help the Celtics claim a nine-point halftime lead was Al Horford. Defensively, the Mavericks tried to hide Doncic on Horford, but Boston made them pay for that, as the team's elder statesman scored on him in the low post on multiple occasions.
Horford scored eight of his 17 points in the first half, doing so on 3/5 (60 percent) shooting. He also grabbed five rebounds, swatted two shots, swiped two steals, and registered a plus-12 plus-minus rating.
Dallas Establishes Itself as the More Physical, More Mentally Tough Team in Sunday's Game
The Celtics' defense softened, and they had trouble staying with off-ball cutters. Between that and the damage inflicted by Doncic, who scored 11 points and assisted on two more, Dallas produced 38 points in the third quarter.
Not only did they shoot 11/15 (73.3 percent) from the field, including 6/9 (66.7 percent) from long range, but their aggressive nature led to them taking and making ten free throws. That included drives where the Mavericks took on the challenge of meeting Robert Williams at the rim by making it a point to get into his body and draw contact that produced three fouls on the Timelord, giving him four total.
Out of frustration, Williams also picked up a technical in the process. Upset by Dallas taking twice as many free throws as Boston, despite both teams attacking the basket, Ime Udoka picked one up as well.
By the time the period ended, the Mavericks had outscored the Celtics 38-26, taking a 76-73 lead into the final frame.
Mavericks Prevail Thanks to Late Rally
The Celtics opened the fourth quarter on a 10-2 run, including a pair of threes from Payton Pritchard and an alley-oop to Robert Williams to regain the lead, 83-78.
Then, the Celtics attacked the basket as Marcus Smart got deep into the paint before dishing to Al Horford for a layup, plus the tax. Horford converted on the ensuing free throw, giving him 17 points and Boston an 86-83 lead with 5:14 left.
After that, Brown and Tatum went strong to the rim, slicing through the Dallas defense for layups that helped the Celtics gain a 90-89 advantage with 3:14 to play.
After that, Doncic buried a 28-foot three-pointer to tie the game at 92, and Tatum couldn't get a mid-range fadeaway to go down. Off the miss, the Mavericks had Boston's defense in scramble mode for most of the possession and ultimately generated an open three for Spencer Dinwiddie, who drilled it to put Dallas up 95-92.
Controversy ensued as Marcus Smart got fouled by Doncic while shooting a three with 4.9 seconds left. But the Mavericks challenged the call, and after a lengthy review, the foul got overturned, resulting in a jump ball at half court. The Celtics won the tip, and Tatum seemed poised to get a clean look at a three from the left-wing, but Ime Udoka took a timeout as soon as Boston won the tip.
After that, Tatum took a tough fadeaway three from the top of the key that didn't drop, and the Celtics lost for only the third time in their last 19 games.
Up Next
The Celtics travel to the Bay Area to take on Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors Wednesday night. The game tips off at 10:00 ET. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.
Further Reading
What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Pistons: Boston Outlasts Detroit in Physical Matchup
Profile on Celtics' Latest Signing, Nik Stauskas
Profile on Celtics' Newest Signing, Matt Ryan
The Trials, Tribulations, and Growth of Ime Udoka in His First Year as Celtics' Head Coach
