Stats Rundown: 5 numbers that led to a Mavericks blowout loss at the Boston Celtics
The Mavericks (34-26) looked pretty dangerous for about two and a half quarters Friday but folded in the fourth in what became an ugly 138-110 loss to the Boston Celtics (47-12) at the TD Garden. Luka Dončić did everything he could to keep the Mavericks competitive against the NBA’s best team and led all scorers with 37 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in the loss — his 12th triple-double of the season.
The trio of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis was just too much for the Mavs to match, especially on an off-night from Kyrie Irving, who ended the night with 19 points on 9-of-23 shooting and just 1-of-7 from 3-point territory.
The win is Boston’s 10th in a row, the only 10-game win streak this year in the NBA. You kind of have to hope the Celtics have an off night shooting the ball to even have a chance to win when they’re playing against your team, and they certainly didn’t on Friday. Boston did what they did best and shot 52-of-94 (55.3%) from the field and 21-of-43 (48.8%) from 3-point range in the win over Dallas.
Here are five more key stats from the loss in Boston that put the Mavericks in their place and sent them to a 1-3 mark on this brutal eastern road swing.
13: First-quarter points for Kristaps Porzingis
Former Maverick Kristaps Porzingis fueled Boston’s hot start on offense, hitting 4-of-6 from the field including 3-of-4 from 3-point land in the opening frame. Dereck Lively II lost hold of Porzingis on two of those made 3-pointers but played really well other than that throughout the first half.
Porzingis’ third 3-pointer came on Derrick White’s sixth assist of the first quarter, with 2:18 left in the first. It kept the Mavs at arm’s length after they had drawn to within six on a Tim Hardaway pull-up 3-pointer.
The Celtics led 38-32 after one. The only reason Porzingis didn’t lead all scorers after the first quarter was Luka Dončić’s banking fadeaway jumper on the Mavs’ last possession. His hot start came as Jayson Tatum had a relatively quiet first quarter, with just two points on 0-of-3 shooting.
5-of-20: Mavs’ shooting start from 3-point range
The Mavericks had to have both a good shooting night and a good night on the defensive end to keep pace with the holders of the NBA’s best record and a nine-game win streak coming into the game. But the shots just weren’t falling in the first half for anyone in a Maverick uniform not named Luka Dončić or Tim Hardaway Jr.
Dončić made 3-of-6 and Hardaway made 2-of-4 from distance in the first half, and every other Maverick combined to shoot 0-of-10 from 3-point territory. Kyrie Irving was lethal from the midrange in the first half but was 0-of-6 from deep on his own.
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Meanwhile, Jrue Holiday, who came into the game shooting an NBA-leading 65% on corner 3-point attempts, went 3-for-3 on corner 3-pointers in the first half against the Mavs. Porzingis shot 4-of-6 from 3-point range, as the Celtics shot 10-of-22 from range as a team.
All in all, Dončić really had to drag the Mavs with him in the first half. His 23 points, six boards and six assists were the only reason Dallas was down just 66-59 at the half. You could tell, he was leaving it all out there on the checkered TD Garden floor.
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The Mavericks didn’t get much better in the second half and ended up shooting just 9-of-34 from 3-point land on the night.
3-for-4: P.J. Washington’s third-quarter 3-point shooting
At least one Maverick shooter found his touch in the third quarter. P.J. Washington nailed three in a row as the Mavs became a more serious threat as the third quarter progressed.
His first two, on back-to-back possessions early in the third, kept the Mavs connected and within four points of the Celtics, who continued to shoot the ball well out of halftime, too. Irving found Washington along the wing for his third a couple minutes later, and it brought the Mavs to within 79-77 midway through the frame.
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But his miss was a heat check early in the shot clock with a hand in his face two possessions later that quickly went the other way and ended in an open transition 3-pointer for Tatum on the other end. It was a six-point swing in Boston’s favor when Dallas had a chance to take the lead for the first time since the first quarter.
Washington ended the night with 17 points and seven boards in the loss.
21-11: Celtics’ late third-quarter run
But instead of taking the lead, the Mavs found themselves down 84-79 after Tatum’s third 3-pointer of the game. In the final 6:02 of the third quarter, the Celtics outscored the Mavericks 21-11 to erase the progress Dallas had made for the first six minutes.
Tatum’s step-back 3-pointer with :35 left in the third gave Boston a 100-86 lead and Boston took a 102-90 lead into the fourth.
81: combined points from Tatum, Brown and Porzingis
But there are just too many problems to solve when you play against the Celtics. Where do you help from? Who do you absolutely have to stop and who are you going to let beat you? Whichever hole you plug just creates two new leaks to appear in your defense.
Tatum paced the Celtics as they extended their lead from 12 to 18, up 112-94 on White’s pull-up 3-pointer with 8:53 to play. Boston went up 20 for the first time, 119-99, two minutes later on a lob inside to Al Horford from Xavier Tillman.
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In the end, the firepower of Tatum, Brown and Porzingis was too much for the Mavs to match, especially on what has to be considered an off-night from Irving. The Boston trio combined to score 78 points. Porzingis keyed the Celtics early on, Tatum came on late, and Brown was steady throughout the game as the Celtics did what they did best against the Mavs — poured it in the bucket.
Tatum led Boston with 32 points and eight boards, Brown had 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists, and Porzingis chipped in with 24 points and six boards in the win.
