# Dallas Mavericks Dominate Celtics to Avoid Sweep: Key Highlights and Reactions

 # Dallas Mavericks Dominate Celtics to Avoid Sweep: Key Highlights and Reactions

**DALLAS** — Facing the prospect of an unexpected sweep by the Boston Celtics, Kyrie Irving assured that the Dallas Mavericks would bring out the “bazooka” and “shoot our shots” with their season hanging by a thread. The Mavericks delivered on this promise with a resounding 122-84 Game 4 victory at the American Airlines Center on Friday.

The game began with rookie center Dereck Lively II surprising everyone by hitting his first three-point attempt of the season from the right corner, giving Dallas a 13-11 lead midway through the first quarter. This early momentum set the tone for the Mavericks, who never looked back, building a double-digit lead in the first quarter and extending it to a 61-35 advantage by halftime.

Boston’s lackluster performance resulted in their third-worst playoff loss in franchise history, with the Celtics only previously suffering greater defeats in 1995 and 2017. Conversely, Dallas’s 38-point victory marked the second-largest playoff margin in the team’s history.

**Coach Jason Kidd** expressed pride in his team’s effort, stating, “We don’t have to complicate it. This isn’t surgery. Our group was ready to go. We made a stand. We were desperate. The hardest thing in this league is to close the door against a group that has nothing to lose. Tonight you saw that. [The Celtics] let go of the rope pretty early.”

Lively’s three-pointer delighted the home crowd and eased the Mavericks, who had struggled in the first three games and faced criticism after Luka Doncic fouled out late in Game 3. Doncic led the team with 29 points, five rebounds, and five assists in just 33 minutes, while the Mavericks displayed balanced scoring with five players in double figures. Their 15-for-37 (40.5%) three-point shooting was their best of the Finals.

**Coach Kidd** praised Doncic, saying, “[Doncic] has been doing everything for us. He played his game tonight. We talked about playing faster, and I thought he set the pace for us. There wasn’t a different Luka out there. He was great. He’s been great. He’s one of the best players in the world. As much as we want to criticize, he’s a hell of a player."

The Celtics missed Kristaps Porzingis for the second consecutive game due to a left ankle injury, which the Mavericks exploited by dominating the paint. Irving added 21 points, four rebounds, and six assists, ending his personal 13-game losing streak against his former team, the Celtics.

Boston’s offense, which had been cautioned against a mental letup by Coach Joe Mazzulla, faltered from the start. Jayson Tatum scored 15 points—all in the first half—but it wasn’t enough to stave off Dallas. Jaylen Brown, the Finals MVP favorite, struggled with only 10 points on 3-for-12 shooting.

“I think this is the most stagnant that we’ve been this series,” Tatum admitted. “[This was] the worst job of owning our space on the offensive end, and [not] doing what we wanted to do instead of what they were forcing us to do. We did a great job of that the first three games. This one, we didn’t.”

Despite the initial excitement of Celtics fans in Texas hoping for a title celebration, their enthusiasm quickly dwindled. The loss snapped Boston’s 10-game winning streak and marked their first playoff defeat in eight road games.

**Coach Mazzulla** acknowledged Dallas's superior performance: “Dallas is a great team. We’re going to have to earn it. [Our effort] wasn’t as good as Dallas’s was. Theirs was a lot better.”

Dallas reached 100 points with over nine minutes remaining, leading by as many as 48. Lively’s late third-quarter dunks further energized the crowd, prompting Mazzulla to bench his starters. The fourth quarter turned into garbage time, but Tim Hardaway Jr. thrilled fans with his breakout performance, scoring 15 points on five three-pointers.

Doncic, relieved after the Game 3 loss, expressed confidence in his team’s chances: “We’re going to believe until the end. We just got to keep going. I have big belief in this team that we can do it. ... Everybody played with a lot of energy. That’s how we got to do it. We got to think the same way in Game 5 in Boston.”

The Celtics will use the next two days to regroup and analyze their lackluster effort. As Dallas demonstrated in the Western Conference finals, a strong Game 5 showing can erase the memory of a disappointing Game 4.

**Al Horford** reflected on the loss: “They played much better than us. They clearly outplayed us. That’s tough to take, but that’s the reality. The one thing I can tell you about our group is that time and time again we’ve responded when we’ve had adversity.”

With the series now at 3-1, the Mavericks look to continue their fightback in Game 5 at TD Garden on Monday.