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Celtics withstand Mavericks’ 4th quarter comeback to take 3-0 Finals lead with 106-99 victory

Jun 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) and guard Jaylen Brown (7) celebrate after defeating the Dallas Mavericks in game three of the 2024 NBA Finals at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Celtics are one win away from their 18th NBA championship with a 106-99 Game 3 victory, despite a valiant comeback effort by the Dallas Mavericks.

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The Mavericks had a had terrific start to the game, as well as a huge fourth quarter run, but a 35-19 third quarter by the Celtics and holding the Mavs off at the very end proved the difference tonight.

The two stars from both teams showed out in the first game in Dallas. Jayson Tatum had his first game with more than 18 points in the series, finishing with 31 points on 11-of-26 shooting to go along with six rebounds and five assists. Jaylen Brown scored 24 of his 30 points in the second half and also had eight assists and eight rebounds.

Kyrie Irving finally broke through his struggles with a game-high 35 points on 13-of-28 shooting for Dallas. For the first time in his playoff career, Luka Doncic fouled out with just over four minutes to go and the Mavs only down three after recording 27 points on 11-of-27 shooting, six rebounds and six assists.

Irving tried his best to keep Dallas in the game after this point, but Boston never let up the lead.

As Boston always preaches, the 3-point make and attempt difference was huge in the end, as the Celtics finished 17-of-46 from 3 compared to 9-of-25 for Dallas.

Dallas only had 15 assists as a team tonight, as it has now only averaged 15 per game this series. The Celtics have held the Mavs to under 100 points in all three games so far.

Boston is now 7-0 on the road this postseason and 15-2 overall. No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit.

Game Flow

The Mavericks started off the game exactly how they would have liked, converting 11 of their first 16 shots to take an early 25-12 lead with just under five minutes remaining in the first quarter. However, the Celtics responded with an 11-0 run and rode that momentum to trail by only one at the end of the first, 31-30. Doncic and Tatum both had 13 points for their respective teams. Irving added nine for Dallas, who shot 13-of-24 (54.2%) from the floor as a team, but 2-of-9 (22.2%) from deep. Boston went 5-of-13 (38.5%) from 3 and 10-of-22 (45.5%) overall.

The Celtics were unable to create separation with the momentum they created from the first quarter, as the Mavericks led 51-50 heading into halftime. Irving posted 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting (4-of-5 from 3) and three rebounds in the half, while Doncic was right behind him with 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting (1-of-6 from deep) to go along with three assists and three rebounds. Tatum, who was the only Celtic in double-figures, had 20 on 7-of-15 field goals and four rebounds for Boston, who only shot 41% as a team in the half (18-of-44). Both teams went 33% from 3, but the Celtics cashed in nine compared to five for Dallas.

Boston made its first seven shots to start the third quarter and poured it in on Dallas to take an 85-70 advantage going into the fourth. Brown (15) and Tatum (7) alone outscored Dallas 22-19 in the quarter. Including Brown and Tatum, sux Celtics has over eight points at the end of the quarter, while Irving (26) and Doncic (25) were the only players with over six points for Dallas. Brown put a punctuation on this huge third quarter with this slam.

The Celtics made two straight 3s to take a 21-point lead in the first minute of the fourth, but Dallas responded with an incredible 20-2 run to make the Boston lead only 93-90 with just over six minutes to go. Doncic fouled out with 4:12 left and the score still the same. Dallas kept it within six the rest of the way, including making it a two-point game with just over a minute remaining. However, Brown sealed the game with this jumper.

Next Up

Game 4 is on Friday, June 14 at 5:30 p.m. MST in Dallas.

Celtics use full-team effort to take 2-0 Finals lead over Mavericks with 105-98 Game 2 victory

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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau

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