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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South Africa players celebrate after their win in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup cricket match between Bangladesh and South Africa at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in Westbury, New York, Monday, June 10, 2024. (AP/PTI)(AP06_11_2024_000003A)
| Photo Credit: Adam Hunger

Since the day Mike Elko stepped back on campus at Texas A&M as the head coach of the Aggies, the recruiting presence has been strong.

That was amplified on Friday night as elite four-star tight end Kiotti Armstrong committed to Texas A&M. He chose the Aggies over the Texas Longhorns.

The 6-foot-5, 246-pounder out of Jasper, Texas, is now the highest ranked commit in the Aggies 2025 class.

Texas A&M has long been considered among the shortlist of favorites. Even after the changing of the staff and the reset of the program, they were able to stay in front for Armstrong.

“Coach (Mike) Elko, coach (Trooper) Taylor, I like them a lot. Communication is great, they feel like a family and I like the scheme. And it’s right down the road from me,” Armstrong told Rivals this spring.

Darius Armstrong, Kiotti’s father commented on the commitment and the feeling the family got while on visits.

“We went back and with this new staff, it was a completely different feeling. And we’re Aggies now. Gig ‘Em.”

As a junior, Armstrong, appeared in 11 games, and while he was not reeling in an abundance of catches, the clip he was scoring touchdowns at was astounding. He finished the season with 26 receptions for 268 yards and a nine touchdowns. That means he scored a touchdown roughly every 2.5 catches.

Tennis great Serena Williams is one of the most accomplished athletes of the 21st century. She won 23 grand slam singles titles during her prolific career, which is just one shy of the women’s tennis all-time record.

She retired after the 2022 US Open, citing her desire to spend more time with family and focus on other ventures. Her docuseries “In the Arena: Serena Williams,” premiered at this year’s Tribeca Festival in New York City.

At one point during the festival, the tennis champion was asked if she had any thoughts she was willing to share about a fellow female athlete — Caitlin Clark.

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FILE – Serena Williams arrives at the 54th NAACP Image Awards on Feb. 25, 2023, at the Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif.  (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

Williams advised the WNBA rookie to keep “doing what she’s doing.”

“I just love that she tried to stay grounded and that she doesn’t… look at her social [media],” Williams told The Associated Press on the red carpet. “I get it. I don’t either. And I think it’s so important to continue doing what she’s doing.”

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Williams also suggested that some of the negativity directed at Clark stemmed from jealousy.

“And no matter what other people do, if people are negative then it’s because they can’t do what you do… basically,” Williams noted. “And hopefully she’ll continue to do what she’s doing.”

Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever dribbles the ball during the game against the Atlanta Dream on June 13, 2024 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)

Clark’s name has been featured in countless sports headlines throughout the first several weeks of her first season in the WNBA. 

Much of the conversation about Clark has centered around the level of physicality the rookie has faced during her first handful of professional basketball games. 

“I think everybody is physical with me. They get away with things that probably other people don’t get away with,” Clark said on May 28 after the Fever dropped a game to the Los Angeles Sparks.

Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever looks on during the game against the Connecticut Sun on June 10, 2024 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty Images)

Earlier this week, Clark learned that she would not be traveling to Paris next month to play with the US women’s national basketball team in the Olympics.

Diana Taurasi, Kahleah Copper, A’Ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Breanna Stewart, Brittney Griner, Alyssa Thomas, Napheesa Collier, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Sabrina Ionescu made up the 12-woman roster.

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Clark leads rookies in a variety of statistical categories. She is averaging 15.6 points and six assists over her first 14 WNBA games.

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