The Dallas Mavericks are the 157th NBA to be down 3-0 in a series — each of the previous 156 were unable to complete the comeback. But it all starts with one.
The Mavs salvaged a sweep in front of their home crowd in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday, taking down the Boston Celtics, 122-84 — it was a third-largest margin of victory in Finals history.
Dallas got off to a hot start, outscoring the Celtics, 31-24 in the first quarter, but as the Mavs kept up their scoring, the Celtics did not.
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Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) and Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić (77) embrace after the first half against the Boston Celtics during game four of the 2024 NBA Finals at American Airlines Center. (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)
Boston was outscored in the second quarter, 27-14 — their 35 first-half points were their lowest in the entire season.
The Mavericks shot 52.3% from the floor in the first half, while Boston made just 29.7%. Jayson Tatum had 15 points in the first 24 minutes, and still-likely Finals MVP Jaylen Brown had eight, but Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Sam Hauser, and Xavier Tillman each had three points, so there wasn’t much help from the supporting cast.
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić (77) high-fives center Dereck Lively II (2) and forward Derrick Jones Jr. (55) during the first quarter against the Boston Celtics during game four of the 2024 NBA Finals at American Airlines Center. (Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports)
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As for Dallas, it was the Luka Dončić show, as he put up 25 points in the first half, almost singlehandedly outscoring the Celtics himself in the first half — Kyrie Irving added 11.
The Mavs kept their foot on the pedal, getting out to a 29-17 run to start the third quarter to go up 38, their largest lead of the night to that point (they wound up leading by 48), and it was smooth sailing from there, as both squads went with their B-teams the rest of the way.
Tatum did not score in the second half, while Brown added just two more points. Irving finished with 21 points.
The noise was loud for Dončić, who was heavily criticized after fouling out in Game 3 for poor body language and snapping at his coaches for poor plays he had made. He only scored four points in the second half, but he hardly needed to do much after Dallas’ dominant second half.
“We can’t lose no more — we’re gonna believe to the end,” he said after the game.
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić (77) reacts after a play during the first half in Game 4 of the NBA basketball finals against the Boston Celtics, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
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Game 5 is in Boston on Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
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