Despite a nightmare fourth quarter that nearly saw them squander a 21-point lead, the Boston Celtics are one win from claiming a record 18th NBA championship.
Boston held off a spirited comeback attempt from the Dallas Mavericks to win Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals 106-99 and take a 3-0 lead, all but putting the series away in front of the American Airlines Center crowd in Dallas. No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit.
Game 4 is scheduled for Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET in Dallas (ABC).
The Mavericks entered the game with some reason for hope after Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis, one of Boston’s best players in Games 1 and 2, was ruled out due to a “rare” injury. That absence appeared to hurt Boston early on, as Dallas hammered the paint as it took an early 22-9 lead.
As they have many times this postseason, the Celtics quickly regrouped. They chipped away at the deficit until its was only one point by the end of the first quarter and played Dallas to a tie in the second quarter.
Then came the third quarter, when the bottom fell out for the Mavericks. Just as Dallas stars Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving began to tire, the Celtics hit them with a barrage of 3-pointers to take a commanding lead in the second half.
It could have been over from there, with Boston taking a 91-70 lead at 11:07 of the fourth quarter. But the Mavericks responded with a 22-2 run over the course of nearly eight minutes to cut the deficit to one. The blow that stifled that frenetic comeback ended up coming via whistle, when Dončić fouled out of the game with 4:38 remaining.
It was the first time Dončić had fouled out all season and in his postseason career.
Without Dončić, the Mavericks fell just short of pulling off the comeback. And now they need to mount an even bigger comeback for the series.
Dončić exited with 27 points on 27 shots, six assists and six rebounds, while Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 35 points on 13-of-28 shooting. The Mavericks have relied on their two-man game for much of the playoffs, but it was the Celtics’ duo that made the bigger difference overall.
Both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each had their first 30-point games of the series. Tatum had 31 points (mostly in the first half), six rebounds and five assists, while Brown came on strong in the second half to post 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
Here’s how it all played out, with Yahoo Sports NBA experts Jake Fischer, Vincent Goodwill and Dan Devine explaining every swing of Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
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Mavs storm back and are down 3
Say this for the Mavs: They’re not going down without a fight. After a Jrue Holiday foul, Kyrie’s three free throws run the tab up to a 23-2 Dallas run, and we’ve got a one possession game in the final five minutes. Crunch time in the NBA Finals. Hell yeah.
Mavs show some life
The Mavs came out of their last timeout playing like a team that knows its season is on the line. A 10-0 run in less than three minutes, capped by Josh Green knocking in a catch-and-shoot 3 from the wing off a Luka dish, has Boston’s lead down to 11, with 8:23 remaining.
Mavs get something going
Not so fast … Dallas’ comeback effort here in the start of the fourth is brewing, trimming a 21-point deficit back down to 11. It has featured some quality efforts — finally — from non-Donic/Irving Mavericks: a Josh Green triple, a long ball from PJ Washington, a putback from Lively.
Boston 3 party
That Derrick White stepback 3 was the Celtics’ 16th of the night, on their 40th attempt. Coming into tonight, Boston was 51-10 when it got up at least 40 long balls; with a 21-point lead, they’re 11 minutes away from making it 52-10.
Will the Mavs show some fight?
It feels like that Jaylen Brown dunk was an announcement that matters have concluded. Not just tonight, but for the season. 85-70, Celtics lead.
Boston in firm control
Absolute dominance from Boston coming out of halftime — a 35-19 third quarter, punctuated by a hot-knife-through-butter drive and tomahawk dunk by Jaylen Brown, right down Broadway. The Celtics enter the fourth with a 15-point lead, 85-70, and are just 12 minutes away from putting the Mavericks in a 3-0 hole out of which no team has ever climbed.
Dallas done?
This game feels over. This series feels over. The Jumbotron camera just panned to Patrick Mahomes sitting courtside. The MC is asking for the crowd to make some noise. And it is just absolutely dead in here.
Jaylen Brown rising to the challenge
Jaylen Brown senses blood in the water. He’s in Luka’s pocket any chance he . He is driving downhill like a running back who’s seen a hole in the offensive line. A continued two-way brilliance for the All-Star wing who wanted to prove himself to be much more than a scorer this season.
Mavs hitting a wall?
The Mavericks’ offense, time and again, is to force a switch in the pick-and-roll to hunt a perceived mismatch. But those perceived mismatches hold their own — as Al Horford, Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard have on multiple occasions tonight, and as Xavier Tillman just did. Dallas doesn’t have a whole lot of places to go. Now down to 21-for-39 (53.8%) in the paint, with just one corner 3 on two corner attempts.
Boston comes out of halftime locked in
Whatever Joe Mazzulla said to the Celtics in the locker room — maybe something about killer whales, or UFC fighters hitting each other below the belt? — he might want to write it down to use it again next game. Boston scores on its first six possessions of the second half, capped by a Jayson Tatum catch-and-shoot 3 set up by a Jaylen Brown drive-and-kick — Brown has seven assists, BTW — and Jason Kidd wants a timeout with the C’s up five, 64-59.
Tatum likes Game 3s
Jayson Tatum told me after Game 3 against Indiana these were his favorite matchups of a series. He loves to silence a road crowd in these third games, and his latest three gives him 25 and a 64-59 Boston lead
Tatum and the Celtics get a little lead
Tatum’s offense has arrived in Dallas. And his teammates have joined the party. 64-59 Celtics lead.
Or are the Mavs in a groove?
What you feel good about if you’re the Mavericks: Luka and Kyrie continue to find matchups they like in the pick-and-roll; after struggling to make shots on the interior in Games 1 and 2, you’ve got a 30-16 edge in points in the paint at halftime; and you’re finally generating some extra shots, with six second-chance possessions leading to six second-chance points.
This is how the NBA Finals should be
A lot of matchup hunting, a lot of step-backs, and we have the best game of the series so far. Both teams feel far more in rhythm than we saw in Boston, and this should make for a high-octane finish.
Celtics sitting pretty?
What you feel good about if you’re the Celtics: Nearly 85% of your shots in the first half came either at the rim or from beyond the 3-point arc; you’ve finally got Tatum going; Tillman, Hauser and Pritchard are getting attacked, but have mostly held up. If any of Jaylen Brown (2-for-6), Derrick White (1-for-7) or Jrue Holiday (2-for-6) catch a rhythm on the kinds of looks you like, you’re in good shape.
It’s a different game in Dallas
Jayson Tatum didn’t make more than six shots or score more than 18 points in either of the first two games in Boston. He’s already topped both here, pouring in 20 points on 7-for-15 shooting to carry the load for a Celtics team trying to weather the storm in Dallas. The Celtics have needed every one of those points to keep up with Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić (37 combined points on 50% shooting) as they’ve fueled a 51-50 Mavs edge at the half.
Tatum keeping Boston in it
Jayson Tatum is the only thing keeping this from being a blowout. He has 20 in the first half and it’s tied at 50. Well over half the C’s shots are from 3.
Kyrie is doing his thing
Kyrie Irving missed his first nine 3-pointers of the 2024 NBA Finals. He’s made his last four — three in this second quarter alone, including a pair of nasty stepbacks over Boston contests — and has 20 points in 19 minutes. This is the shot-making that Dallas has desperately needed; so far, their second star is playing like one.
