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In a rematch of the 2024 NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics came out on top.
Jayson Tatum and the Celtics took down the Dallas Mavericks by the final score of 122-107 at the American Airlines Center on Saturday.
The Mavericks jumped out to a nine-point lead in the first quarter, but Boston responded and outscored Dallas by 14 points in the second. The Celtics pulled away after halftime, as the Mavericks struggled to keep up with superstar Luka Dončić still out with a calf injury.
Boston won due to a balanced performance from its opening lineup, as all five starters finished with at least 17 points.
Tatum scored a team-high 24 points and pulled down six rebounds, shooting 8-22 from the field and 4-12 from behind the arc. He also reached 13,000 career points during the contest.
It was an encouraging performance from the Celtics, as the reigning champions lost three of their past six games entering Saturday’s matchup. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith described Boston’s recent play as a “lull” prior to the playoffs on NBA Countdown (1:20 mark).
After the Celtics seemed to get back on track against the Mavericks, fans were relieved.
John Karalis 🇬🇷 @John_Karalis
The Celtics wheel since mid Dec:
“Wow, they look great”
“Eh, they lost, it’s okay”
“See? They won, even tho it wasn’t pretty.
“Hmmm, I’m not thrilled that they lost that game”
“Wow they won but they nearly blew it”
“OMG What is wrong with them?”
“Oh nevermind, they look great”
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
11-9 in the last 20 games isn’t great for Boston. No arguing that.
A 3-1 west coast trip with the only loss on a back-to-back after overtime the night before, is pretty good.
Overall, Celtics are 32-14. 57-win pace. Very good record.
Nine games to go until the All-Star Break.
James H Kellett @jameshkellett
#Celtics absolutely rampant here against the #Mavs. Dallas continue to struggle without Luka & as Boston hit their unstoppable three-point making stride here in the third, this game is effectively over #NBARivalsWeek
Boston’s overall offense was extremely efficient, hitting 20 of 52 three-point attempts as a team. The Celtics also racked up 33 assists compared to a mere five turnovers.
For the Mavericks, Kyrie Irving led the way with 22 points and five assists while shooting 47.8 percent from the field. Quentin Grimes chipped in with 20 points off the bench, which included an impressive dunk in the third quarter.
Dallas fell to 24-22 with the loss, while Boston improved to 32-14. The Celtics are now five games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
