The Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks 119-110 on the road thanks to another impressive outing from Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. The All-NBA duo powered Boston to an emphatic victory, pushing the Celtics to a 34-10 record for the season.
The game marked Boston’s first tilt against Grant Williams since the fan-favorite joined Dallas in free agency this summer. Williams spent his first four seasons as a pro in a Celtics uniform, but tonight he was unable to exact revenge against his old club. With Brown and Tatum at the helm, Boston’s offense proved too much for Dallas to handle, and was more than enough to secure a victory for the guys in green.
Here’s what went down during Boston’s 119-110 win in Dallas Monday night.
Why Boston should be looking for rotation bigs and ballhandlers on top of forwards https://t.co/rPpBKjpi4y pic.twitter.com/evPgdgrmbX
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) January 22, 2024
Boston offense
Tatum and Brown were the headliners for Boston’s scoring effort. The All-NBA duo combined for 73 points, 14 rebounds, and 9 assists with 0 turnovers. They both attacked Dallas directly, resulting in more than a few spectacular finishes at the cup. For what it’s worth, the Mavericks have the second-worst rim defense in the entire NBA. Tatum and Brown were adept at exploiting this vulnerability.
This was the third time this season the duo combined for 60 or more points. The Celtics are 27-2 all-time during such games.
Per usual, the rest of the Celtics players benefited from Boston’s stars playing well. The extra attention Tatum and Brown commanded on defense generated open looks for their teammates for much of the game. In total, Boston shot 41-for-88 from the field after opening the game 1-for-12, thanks in part to this extra space.
Kristaps Porzingis on Jaylen Brown's triple-double vs. Houston: He doesn’t need to score 30 every night https://t.co/JGcCpwFcC9 pic.twitter.com/z3ub2G3zOs
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) January 22, 2024
Boston's defense
The Mavericks had four days rest ahead of this game, and played with purpose and speed on offense. Boston deserves credit for finding ways to disrupt Dallas’ energy on that side of the ball.
In fact, outside of Luka Doncic, the Mavs looked choppy and inconsistent scoring the ball. Doncic did end the night with 33 points, 18 rebounds, and 13 assists. But he worked hard for each and every bucket, and got little support from his teammates.
The Celtics picked their spots on offense. Allowing a triple-double from Doncic wasn’t the explicit strategy. But by neutering the rest of the Mavericks, Dallas couldn’t string enough baskets together to stay in the game.
Celtics projected to take two forwards, big man in new 2024 mock NBA draft https://t.co/Cv9MRrxMDe pic.twitter.com/NcTajzJIZK
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) January 22, 2024
Looking ahead
This was Boston’s second game in Texas in as many days, and the Celtics exit the Lone Star State with two victories. It’s a nice show of resiliency after a tough loss to the Denver Nuggets last week.
The Celtics now head to South Beach for a match against the rival Miami Heat Thursday night. From there, they return to the Hub for seven games in Boston, the longest stretch of home games on the year.
Celtics legend reveal details from internal locker room fight https://t.co/uflnHDyIRP pic.twitter.com/cdhJaqXW1K
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) January 22, 2024
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ
