Luka Doncic’s 37 points had no effect on the outcome of the game.
The Boston Celtics welcomed the Dallas Mavericks to the TD Garden, led by Luka Doncic and an old acquaintance of Celtic fans: Kyrie Irving. The Dallas duo wasn’t enough to go head to head with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, scoring baskets in the 138 x 110 victory.
After drafting Jayson Tatum in the 2017 draft, the Jays have enjoyed one of their best seasons since the formation of the team. The two players scored 57 points between them, and Brown (25 points) and Tatum (32) seemed to seal the win for the Celtics when they needed it most.
Throughout the game, the Boston Celtics maintained control of the action on both ends of the court, but the Dallas Mavericks, spearheaded by Luka Doncic and Derrick Lively III, occasionally reduced the deficit on the scoreboard. Boston swiftly answered when this occurred by making a fast basket while dribbling close to the hoop or by attempting a three-point shot while the player in possession was free.
Jayson Tatum caps a 16-point 3rd quarter with a contested side-step three 🤯 pic.twitter.com/RPEpAKjo78
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) March 2, 2024Another player who deserves to be highlighted on the Celtics side is Kristaps Porzingis. Alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Porzingis was the third with the most points on the home side (23), and started the match on fire with three-pointers.
The Celtics’ past doesn’t affect the team’s present
The team’s decision-making in moments like this meant that the victory did not escape the Celtics, something that was constantly seen in previous seasons.
For instance, in instances such as these, the coach would typically call on Marcus Smart to enter the box at any cost, which frequently resulted in his being stopped by the opposition defense and losing a chance to score a basket.
The Jaylen Brown-Kristaps Porzingis connection remains undefeated pic.twitter.com/9ud1do6Bsz
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzellNBA) March 2, 2024In these kinds of situations, Jaylen Brown would occasionally appear, both near the “dead zone” and as the player driving the lane with the ball in his hands. In one of these plays, Brown broke the initial line of defense at the bottle’s entry and appeared to be about to lose possession of the ball, but he miraculously found the hoop and a free throw.
Boston, after reaching 100 points, had no more problems closing the game, while the strength that the Mavericks would need to impose to just equalize the score increased with each Celtics basket. A night of right decisions guaranteed an important victory against a prominent opponent.
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