The Dallas Mavericks concluded their five-game road trip with a game against the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics on Thursday night. The Mavericks defeated the Celtics 127-120 and shocked the Celtics fans at TD Garden. Dallas improved to 27-25 and snapped a three-game losing skid, while Boston fell to 36-16 and witnessed their four-game winning streak snapped.
Klay Thompson led the Mavericks with 25 points, three rebounds, and four assists. Spencer Dinwiddie followed up with 22 points, two rebounds, and two assists. Naji Marshall added 2o points, two rebounds, and three assists. Kyrie Irving had 19 points, three rebounds, and four assists. Dante Exum scored 15 points and five assists. Max Christie recorded 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Daniel Gafford tallied eight points, 15 rebounds, and four assists.
Dallas Mavericks-Boston Celtics Recap
The Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics game was action-packed from start to finish. The Mavericks ruled out Dereck Lively II with a right ankle stress fracture, Dwight Powell for a right hip strain, PJ Washington for personal reasons, Caleb Martin for a right hip strain, and Anthony Davis as questionable with an abdominal muscle strain. The Celtics ruled out Jrue Holiday with a right shoulder impingement.
The Mavericks’ starting lineup featured Dante Exum, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Kessler Edwards, and Daniel Gafford. The Mavericks reportedly left things up to Irving to provide a storyline in Thursday night’s game against the Celtics. Irving previously delivered 34 points, nine rebounds, and four assists against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night.
The first-quarter scoring was even for the most part, with both teams scoring at high rates. Thompson and Exum’s three-pointers were highlight-reel moments, while Dinwiddie’s offensive play and ball-handling were highlight-reel moment-worthy. The Mavericks led 32-23 at the end of the first. The second quarter was similar to the first, as things remained in the Mavericks’ favor. The Mavericks led 67-56 lead at halftime.
The Mavericks’ offensive dominance continued throughout the third quarter. Irving joined Thompson’s three-point party with three-pointers of his own. The Mavericks had a commanding lead of 104-83 through three quarters. The Mavericks controlled the fourth quarter, which saw an early three-pointer from Irving. The Mavericks won 127-120 in regulation.
Mavericks-Celtics Highlights
The Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics game featured multiple highlights, such as Sports Illustrated’s report about Luka Doncic reportedly “seething” at the Mavericks for trading him to the Los Angeles Lakers. Doncic likely won’t admit his true feelings, but his body language in his introductory press conference with the Lakers said otherwise.
For the Mavericks, Athlon Sports’ report about the Mavericks’ injury report of Anthony Davis was a positive sign for the team’s fans. Davis recently told reporters that he’ll go through a workout, see how he feels, and depending on that, get in another workout to see how he feels. Davis confirmed that if he doesn’t return on Thursday on the road, then he will suit up on Saturday at home.
For the Celtics, Sports Illustrated’s report about the Celtics’ link to a potential trade scenario with the Lakers was intriguing, to say the least. The Celtics parted ways with Jaden Springer for future draft compensation and signaled to the rest of the NBA that they could realistically trade for Cam Reddish soon. Reddish could provide more depth and potentially replace Springer’s services.
Final Thoughts
Max Christie and Irving shined in the Dallas Mavericks’ narrow 118-116 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night. In his first game as a Dallas Maverick, Christie had 15 points and nine rebounds. Christie also led the Mavericks off the bench. In addition, Christie seemed to have instant chemistry with Irving but told reporters this wasn’t much different after playing with two Hall of Famers.
However, Joel Embiid’s return following left knee injury management overshadowed Christie’s debut with the Mavericks. Embiid recorded a triple-double with 29 points, which consisted of 12-of-23 made field goal attempts, and shot 4-of-9 from the free throw line in a season-high 36 minutes. Christie and the Mavericks struggled in the second half and rallied furiously before taking a 118-116 loss in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Irving is reportedly dealing with many things right now. Not only did Irving lose his hermano, brother in Spanish, Doncic, but he’s also dealing with the pressure of being the new face of the Mavericks. After Tuesday’s loss in Philadelphia, Irving spoke to reporters for about eight minutes and told them that he was “really shocked” when he learned about the Doncic trade.
Despite recent losses, Dallas expects to be a force in the NBA Playoffs. The Mavericks took another step in the right direction and traded for Caleb Martin just hours before the 76ers vs. Mavericks game on Tuesday. Martin averaged 9.4 points and four rebounds per game while shooting 40% from the three-point range. He played in all 23 of the Miami Heat’s road games to the 2023 NBA Finals.
Just hours before Tuesday’s game, Davis told reporters he had excitement about playing for the Mavericks. Davis added that Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison believes in what he could add to this team and both he and Harrison were “extremely excited” about what they can do. In addition, Davis thought that this team had a great opportunity to win an NBA championship.
The Dallas Mavericks will return to Dallas, Texas, to open a five-game homestand starting Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Central against the Houston Rockets. The Rockets got Jaden Springer, a 2030 second-round pick, and a heavily protected future second-round pick in a Wednesday trade with the Celtics, who got a heavily protected future second-round pick. Springer averaged 1.7 points per game in 26 games for the Celtics this season.
