Mavs Smother Celtics in Big Road Win
After bouncing back into the win column against the Houston Rockets on Friday night, the Dallas Mavericks knew they were going up against a much greater challenge at TD Garden. As well as the Boston Celtics own the league's best defensive rating and had been playing as well as any team coming into Sunday's matinee game.
Although MVP candidates Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum have had their fair share of offensive fireworks over the last few weeks, defense was the name of the game in this one, as both teams had to grind for every point they got. In the end, though, it was the Mavericks who came away victorious with hard-fought 95-92 win.
© Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
© Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
© Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Doncic, after having a left hamstring scare in the first half that caused him to go back into the locker room, came back strong in the second to finish with 26 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Doncic hit multiple big shots in the fourth quarter, but the biggest play of the game was the last one he made on offense, which was a pass out to Spencer Dinwiddie for the game-deciding 3-pointer with just nine seconds left. Dinwiddie finished with 18 points and four assists while hitting 3-of-6 from 3-point range.
On the ensuing possession for Boston, some controversy occurred as Doncic was called for fouling Marcus on a 3-point attempt – the one thing the Mavs couldn't let happen. However, Doncic emphatically signaled to coach Jason Kidd to challenge the call. Kidd did just that, and the Mavs won the challenge as well as the game. Although Doncic touched the top of Smart's hand, the shot had already been released and was therefore ruled as incidental contact.
"I knew it was going to be successful," Doncic told ESPN in his postgame interview. "Because every time I asked the refs when they hit my hand, they said it's not a foul."
© Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
© Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Dorian Finney-Smith's contributions were as important as anyone's in this one. He was doing it all on both ends of the court and finished with 19 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block while shooting 7-of-11 from the field and 4-of-7 from 3-point range. Finney-Smith continues to show why the Mavs were thrilled to sign him to a four-year, $55 million contract extension before letting him reach free agency.
Jayson Tatum was the Celtics' leading scorer with 21 points, but he shot just 7-of-23 from the field, which is a testament to the incredible defense Finney-Smith played against him. All of the other four Celtics' starters scored in double-figures, led by Al Horford with 17 points. Jaylen Brown, who is viewed as Tatum's co-star in Boston, only scored 14 points while shooting 6-of-16 from the field.
After enduring what felt like a meat-grinder type of game against Boston, the Mavs will now have a few days off before they take on the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night in the third game of their current five-game road-trip. Due to Brooklyn's COVID restrictions, Kyrie Irving won't be available for the Nets.
