Mavericks dominate Celtics by historic margin in Game 4 to keep NBA Finals alive
SAN PEDRO, Laguna — Dallas Mavericks crushed Boston Celtics securing Game 4 with a 122-84 win in the NBA Finals at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday, June 15 (PHT).
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving led the Mavericks to win Game 4, denying the Celtics a clean sweep.
Doncic finished the game with 29 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Meanwhile, Irving added 21 points, four rebounds, and six assists.
Mavericks made a great effort off the bench against Dereck Lively II, who had 11 points and 12 rebounds, while Donte Exum scored 15 points.
Both teams tried to grab the lead in the first quarter, but Luka Doncic made an 11-foot floater to seize the team’s game-long lead, 17-14.
29 seconds remaining and P.J. Washington widens the margin by scoring a three-pointer, 34-21.
Despite scoring less than they did in the first quarter, the Mavs continued to dominate the Celtics in the second.
Nine seconds left on the clock, and Doncic made a fake step-back and passed the ball to Maxi Kleber, who made a three-pointer, ending the first half at 61-35.
Doncic extended his lead throughout the first half, scoring 25 of 29 points for the Mavs.
The 26-point halftime deficit was among Boston’s second-biggest in the season and the team’s biggest in an NBA Finals game.
The second half was a breeze for the Mavs after their domination during the first half.
Derek Lively scored four points for Dallas during the third quarter, from two separate cutting dunks, 88-52.
The third quarter repeated the first half, with the Mavs still leading at 92-60.
6:50 remaining in the fourth quarter, and the Celtics are in a hot seat as Tim Hardaway Jr. added nine points for the Mavericks from three consecutive jump shots, 112-67.
After Hardaway’s successful shoots, Jaden Hardy shocked the Dallas crowd with a three-pointer, bringing the margin to a staggering 48 points, 115-67.
With almost no odds for the Celtics to regain the lead and Kristaps Porzingis still out due to injuries, the Mavericks finished with the third-largest margin in NBA finals history.
“We’re going to believe until the end. So, we’re just going to keep going,” Doncic said in a post-game interview.
“By putting in perspective just what we’re up against, history is going to be made either way. So, we like to be on the right side of it,” Irving said after being asked about the team’s mentality.
The Mavericks will face the Celtics again for Game 5 at TD Garden in Boston on Tuesday, June 18, at 8:30 AM (PHT).