DALLAS — There will be a Game 5 of the NBA Finals back in Boston.
The Dallas Mavericks staved off elimination Friday night at American Airlines Center, picking up their first win of this championship series against the Boston Celtics with a dominant 122-84 win.
With the Celtics now holding a 3-1 series lead, things will shift back to TD Garden Monday (8:30 p.m.) where they will once again look to close things out and bring home the franchise’s 18th title.
In similar fashion to Game 3, the Mavericks jumped on their Eastern Conference foes from the get-go Friday — only this time they kept their foot on the gas. Superstar guard Luka Dončić scored 25 of his game-high 29 points in the opening 24 minutes. He and Kyrie Irving (11 first half points) combined to outscore Boston, 36-35, in the first half alone.
It was the Celtics’ fewest points in a first half in any game this season.
The loss also snapped Boston’s playoff record 11-game win streak, marking the Celtics’ first postseason setback since they fell to Cleveland, 118-94, in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference second round back on May 9.
The Celtics now hold a record of 15-3 in the playoffs as they aim to become just the seventh team in league history to reach 80 victories in one season (playoffs included). They are current 79-21 between the regular season and postseason.
Trailing by 26 points at halftime (61-35), the Celtics were generating good looks from the floor at times. The problem was they wasn’t knocking them down.
Boston shot just 29 percent from the field in the first two quarters and 36 percent for the game.
Jayson Tatum led the way in defeat with 15 points.
On the contrary, a collection of Mavericks role players stepped up in a big way, something that hadn’t exactly come to fruition in the first three games of the series.
After nearly rallying back from a 21-point deficit in Game 3 on Wednesday night, only to have Dončić foul out with just over four minutes to play in an eventual 106-99 loss, it appeared Dallas’ titles hopes were cooked.
But the Mavericks live to fight another day and will now attempt to make history by becoming the first NBA team to ever come back from an 0-3 series hole in the playoffs. They may have found something, too, as the hosts surpassed the 100-point mark for the first time this Finals and should go back to Boston with some increased confidence.
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Nick Giannino covers the Boston Celtics for CNHI Sports Boston. Contact him at NGiannino@Nobmg.com and follow along on Twitter @NickGiannino_GT.