With their season at stake, the Mavs delivered a commanding Game 4 victory, forcing the Finals back to Boston on Monday.
What’s Inside Today’s Edition?
Start to Finish: Dallas came out strong and maintained their momentum, securing a 38-point victory.
Luka Leads the Way: Following his Game 3 foul-out, Doncic powered Dallas to a Game 4 triumph.
Dallas Defense: An analysis of how the Mavs restricted the Celtics to a season-low 84 points.
All-Access: Exclusive behind-the-scenes insights from Game 4, courtesy of our on-the-ground correspondents.
Game 4 Frames: A collection of our favorite photos from Friday's action in Dallas.
BUT FIRST
Details on Game 4 and the remaining Finals schedule...
It's a travel day as the NBA Finals shift back to Boston for Game 5 on Monday night. Stay updated on the NBA App for the latest news and exclusive weekend access.
Trivia Time: Test your knowledge with today’s NBA Play: Expert Mode challenge by listing the five all-time leaders in Finals 3-pointers made.
1. MAVS DOMINATE FROM START TO FINISH
In Game 3, Dallas started strong, building a 13-point lead midway through the 1st quarter, but the Celtics managed to rally back.
In Game 4, with their season on the line, Dallas' hot start never cooled. Their 13-point lead after the 1st quarter grew to 20, then 30, and finally 40, culminating in a 122-84 win over Boston, marking the third-highest margin of victory in Finals history (+38). | Recap
More History: Dallas became only the third team in the past 70 years to force a Game 5 after trailing 3-0 in the NBA Finals, following the 1996 Sonics and 2017 Cavs.
Streak Snappers: Dallas’ win ended Boston’s 10-game playoff win streak and handed the Celtics their first road loss this postseason.
Setting the Tone: Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving were determined not to see their season end. They combined to outscore the Celtics in the 1st quarter (22-21) and the 1st half (36-35). | Best of Luka & Kyrie in Game 4
The Stars Had Help: The rest of the Mavs added 25 points on 57.1% shooting in the 1st half, including the first-ever NBA 3-pointer by Dereck Lively II.
Lively II (11 pts, 12 rebs) recorded his second consecutive double-double, joining Magic Johnson (5x in 1980) as the only player to achieve multiple double-doubles in the NBA Finals before turning 21.
Luka on the Full-Team Effort: “It’s big. It’s basketball. It’s five people on the floor. So that’s huge for us. 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.”
By halftime, the Mavs had doubled their 13-point first-quarter lead to 26 and didn’t relent after the break. Just 48 hours earlier, the Mavs had erased a 20+ point lead with a 22-2 run in just five minutes, so they kept their intensity high.
After back-to-back dunks by Lively II made it a 36-point game with 3:18 left in the 3rd quarter, Boston coach Joe Mazzulla pulled his starters and emptied his bench.
The Mavs' bench kept the momentum going. Tim Hardaway Jr., scoreless on 0-of-7 shooting in 27 Finals minutes entering Game 4, hit five 3s in the 4th quarter, pushing Dallas’ lead to a peak of 48 points.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Mavs had racked up 122 points (after being held under 100 in each of the first three games) and limited Boston to 84 points, tying the Celtics’ lowest score under Mazzulla.
Teams often emphasize playing for 48 minutes. With their season on the line, the Mavs delivered one of the most dominant performances in NBA Finals history.
Coach Jason Kidd in the Locker Room Pregame: “This is what we live for. This is what it’s all about. Someone wrote it [on the whiteboard] ‘We gotta believe’ and ‘Why not us?’ We go to Boston tomorrow, I hope you guys are all packed.”
2. LUKA LEADS MAVS TO SEASON-SAVING WIN
All Luka Doncic could do was watch.
After he and the Mavs had trimmed a 21-point deficit to three in Game 3, Luka fouled out on a block/charge call with 4:12 left. Despite Kyrie Irving cutting the lead to one, the Mavs never regained the advantage and fell into a 3-0 hole in the Finals.
With the Mavs’ season on the line 48 hours later, how would the scoring champ respond to his lowest-scoring game in a month and his first playoff foul-out?
The answer: decisively.
Doncic hit three of Dallas’ first four buckets, finishing the 1st quarter with 13 points as the Mavs built a 13-point lead. He scored 29 points, with 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals.
Luka and the Mavs kept rolling in the 2nd quarter, with Doncic adding another dozen points to give him 25 at the half, four assists, and three rebounds.
Third Youngest: At 25 years and 107 days, Luka became the third-youngest player to score 25+ in the 1st half of a Finals game. Are the only players younger? Hakeem Olajuwon (23y, 125d in 1986) and current teammate Kyrie Irving (25y, 78d in 2017).
Fourth Ever: Luka joined LeBron James (2x), Larry Bird, and Nikola Jokic as the only players to accumulate at least 600 points, 150 rebounds, and 150 assists in a single playoff run.
Kidd: “I thought he was great … I thought he played his game tonight. He didn’t force anything. … We talked about it, we got to play faster. I thought he set the pace for us tonight.”
Luka added four more points, two steals, and a half-court alley-oop dime to Daniel Gafford in the 3rd quarter before exiting the game with 1:29 left in the period.
Once again, all Luka could do was watch, this time for the final 13:29, as he and the Mavs built a historic +48 lead, accomplishing their mission to keep the season alive.
First Step: The Mavs aim to become the first team in 157 tries (15 in the Finals) to win a best-of-seven series after trailing 3-0.
Next Steps: Of the previous 156 teams to go down 3-0, only 15 have forced Game 6 (which Dallas will try to do in Boston on Monday), and only four have forced Game 7.
Luka On His Walk-Off: “Still believe.”
3. DALLAS DEFENSE STANDS UP
In the regular season, the Celtics boasted an offensive rating of 122.2, the highest in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98). In Game 4 of the Finals, the Mavericks held the Celtics to a season-low 84 points with one of the best defensive efforts by any team this season.
Blitzing Boston from the start, the Mavs entered the break up 61-35, marking the fewest points Boston has scored in a half since Joe Mazzulla took over as head coach.
Leading the Way: The scoring champ and the Mavs’ 20-year-old rookie.
Setting the Tone: Lively II led all players with 20+ minutes in DefRtg at 81.4, with Luka second at 85.7.
Cool Off: After shooting 46.4% in the first three games of the Finals, the Mavs held the Celtics to just 36.2% in Game 4.
Playoff Low: This field goal percentage represents Boston’s lowest of the postseason and its second-lowest since December 2022.
Tough 2s: Dallas held Boston to 38.5% shooting from inside the arc, an 18.9% drop-off from its series average entering the night (57.4%).
Owning the Inside: The Mavs held the Celtics to 58.8% shooting in the restricted area and 18.8% in the rest of the paint — down 11% and 24.8% from their playoff averages, respectively.
Limited Helpers: Boston was held to 18 assists after averaging 26 through three games.
All-Around Effort: Boston entered the night with a 113.6 offensive rating in the Finals, but Dallas held them to 87.5 in Game 4.
Points in the Paint: The Mavs held the Celtics to 26 points in the paint, their second-fewest of the season and 14 fewer than their series average going into Game 4.
Hustle: Boston averaged 12.3 fast break points and 8.7 offensive boards in the first three games of the Finals, but Dallas limited those marks to a series-low six and four, respectively.
Defense Offense: Dallas is the seventh team in the last 20 Finals to hold their opponent under 40% from the field while shooting better than 50%.
Coach Mazzulla on Dallas: “Their multiple efforts … every time we went in for a layup, they had multiple guys contest … They just did a great job flying around on the defensive end.”
4. ALL-ACCESS PASS TO GAME 4
Game 4 Like Never Before
Warriors rookie Brandin Podziemski and Content Creator Jenna Bandy served as NBA Correspondents for Game 4 in Dallas, soaking in the Finals' electrifying atmosphere.
Podz: “I think Dallas will win tonight … It’s been a great environment, and I can’t wait to experience it.”
Jenna: “Energy is everything … These Dallas fans showed me that if you believe, you can achieve.”
Dive deeper with Podz, Jenna, and our All-Access team, from watching shootaround alongside 2024 NBA Draft prospect Alex Sarr to hearing Luka’s immediate thoughts after the win.
Highlights:
- Dallas Fits: Which Mav was best-dressed for Game 4?
- Sergio Ramos & Luka: Luka welcomes soccer legend Sergio Ramos to Dallas.
- Stars Are Out: Dirk, Embiid, Kyler Murray, and Hailey Van Lith take in the Finals.
- Kidd Inside the Locker Room: “We go to Boston tomorrow, I hope you guys are all packed.”
- JT Hook from Half: Jayson Tatum nails a hook shot from half-court during warmups.
- Luka Pregame Magic: Luka drains a moonshot off the bounce in warmups.
- Mazzulla Inside the Huddle: “Let’s return to our offensive purpose.”
- Scooby Slams: A halftime show you have to see to believe.
- Gafford Mic’d Up: Daniel Gafford directing traffic and celebrating jams.
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