Mavs Trade for Christian Wood As Warriors, Celtics Battle in NBA Finals: Game 6 Preview
The Dallas Mavericks entered the offseason with hope of upgrading their starting center position, and they did just that by trading for Houston Rockets big man Christian Wood on Wednesday evening. The Mavericks pulled off an impressive run to the Western Conference Finals this season but couldn't overcome the Golden State Warriors.
Dallas' focus is building around Luka Doncic and turning their run into sustained success, which could mean retaining the services of Jalen Brunson as he nears free agency. Adding Wood into the mix only helps matters as well, as he averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and one block per game for the Rockets while shooting 39 percent from deep.
Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors have a chance to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy in Boston if they can walk out of TD Garden victorious vs. the Boston Celtics in Game 6 on Thursday. It would be Golden State's fourth NBA title in eight seasons.
Boston trails 2-3 in the series after a 104-94 loss in Game 5 on Monday night in San Francisco. After looking gassed in the fourth quarter, can Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown find a keep their title dreams alive? A key for Boston is to limit turnovers; When the Celtics are 0-6 in the Finals when they commit 16 or more turnovers in a game.
The Celtics were able to limit Stephen Curry in Game 5 to just 16 points on 7-22 shooting, 0-9 from three-point range. This ended his streak of 233 consecutive games with a three-pointer. Unfortunately for Boston, the rest of the Warriors elevated their play to snag the pivotal win.
FUN FACT: Over the past two games, Andrew Wiggins has 29 rebounds... outrebounding Al Horford (17), Robert Williams (20), Jaylen Brown (15), Kevon Looney (15), Draymond Green (17), and Tatum (21).
RECORDS: GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (3-2) VS. BOSTON CELTICS (2-3)
WHEN: Thursday, June 16 at 8 p.m. CT.
LOCATION: TD Garden — Boston, MA
TV/RADIO: ABC
ODDS: The Warriors are 3.5-point underdogs to the Celtics.
NEXT: Game 7: Sunday, June 19 at 7 CT, ABC (If necessary)
LAST WORD: Tatum, after finishing Game 5 with 27 points and ten rebounds:
"We ain't gotta win two in one day. We just gotta win one game on Thursday."
