The Dallas Mavericks (34-26) lost 138-110 to the Boston Celtics (47-12) at TD Garden to cap off a four-game Eastern Conference road trip. After playing the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, the Mavs finished their road trip with a 1-3 record. 

Luka Doncic scored 37 points, pulled down 12 rebounds, and dishevelled 11 assists in a brilliant performance. Five players from Dallas scored in double figures, but none of them—aside from Doncic—went over 20 points. With just 19 points, Kyrie Irving shot 1-7 from beyond the arc and 9-23 overall. Three players scored ten points or more: Tim Hardaway Jr. (10 points), Dereck Lively II (15 points), and P.J. Washington (17 points). 

The difference in results from perimeter shooting was a prominent theme. The Mavs ended up shooting 9-34 (26.5%) from outside the arc, while the Celtics finished with a 21-43 (48.8%) percentage. Boston had a formidable scoring punch that went deep. Despite not scoring in the first quarter, Jayson Tatum finished with 32 points and 8 rebounds. Seven Boston players scored ten or more points, led by Jaylen Brown (25 points) and Kristaps Porzingis (24 points), who combined for 49 points.  

Kristaps Porzingis was used by the Celtics to switch ball screens from one to five in the opening minutes of the game, which allowed for the presence of a weak-side rim protector. With Porzingis playing the five, Boston was able to spread out offensively and put a lot of pressure on Dallas to guard in the half-court. 

Boston made four of the team’s five initial shots and converted at a high rate on all of its shooting attempts, but they were particularly effective from outside the area. For the majority of the first half, these outcomes were maintained. The Celtics, meanwhile, regularly shifted from allowing the ball to circulate to isolating Luka Doncic.

After falling behind 13-5 at the beginning, Doncic set the tone early on so the Mavs could weather the storm caused by Boston’s early momentum. After missing his initial few shots, Irving started to establish a rhythm from mid-range to assist Doncic. 

The Mavs used two big men in the middle of the first quarter, Al Horford and Porzingis. With 4:12 remaining in the first quarter, Horford, one of Boston’s perimeter shooting threats, made a 3-pointer to increase the team’s lead to 30-19, the first double-digit lead of the game. Even with Doncic’s 16 points in the opening quarter, the Mavs fell behind the Celtics 38–32. 

Tim Hardaway Jr.’s airball, Derrick Jones Jr.’s turnover, and a blocked finish attempt sent the Mavs reeling in double figures with just nine minutes remaining before halftime. There was a clear difference in depth between the two squads, which gave Dallas little room for error. 

About halfway through the quarter, Doncic, who had previously connected with Lively for a couple of dunks, helped lead the Mavs back to trailing by just six points. But Jayson Tatum fired up to maintain the Celtics’ early advantage following a scoreless first quarter, helping the team to momentarily recover a double-figure lead after scoring nine points in a row.

At the half, the Mavs were behind the Celtics 66-59, despite Doncic’s 23 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Irving shot 5–13 overall and 0–6 from three points distance, while having 10 points and three rebounds. Dallas was 5-20 as a team at the half, despite Doncic’s 3-6 shooting from outside the arc. Lively contributed two steals and nine points. By the half, Boston had already had four players score in double figures, shooting 10–22 from outside the arc and 25–48 from the floor. 

The Mavs used a zone defence after the break, switching up their coverages to better limit the Celtics in the half-court. Later, Dallas used smaller lineup configurations, starting Hardaway on the wing, but they were penalised on the offensive glass. The Mavs were outscored 36–31 by Boston in the third quarter. 

The Mavs were within four points after Doncic missed a turnaround jumper to set up P.J. Washington for a three-pointer. Washington made several conversions to keep Dallas below that mark. With 7:20 remaining in the third quarter, the Celtics were ahead 77-74 on to two spectacular no-look assists from Doncic to Irving and Lively. 

The Mavs were within two points at one point thanks to a putback dunk by Lively. The Celtics answered right away, embarking on a 6-0 run that included two 3-pointers. With 35.0 seconds left in the third quarter, Boston took advantage of a cold stretch by Dallas, increasing their lead to 14 points on a step-back 3-pointer by Tatum, which was his 27th of the game. 

Early in the fourth quarter, the Celtics increased their lead to 18 points after Derrick White and Brown each made 3-pointers after Brown’s impressive 360-degree layup. After a timeout, Boston maintained possession of the lead and increased their lead to as much as 21 points. Horford made a 3-pointer with 3:55 left in the regulation period to help establish a game-high 24-point lead that assured victory. 

The Mavs then make their way back to American Airlines Centre on Sunday to start a three-game homestand against the Philadelphia 76ers.