DALLAS — Recent history shows Luka Doncic loves to play against the Celtics.
Perhaps so much that he got a haircut — complete with two lines shaved above his left ear — before Saturday’s matchup.
Whether Doncic’s confidence from his fresh new look or his instinct to pick apart the Celtics’ switch-heavy defense contributed more to his heroics at the end of the Mavericks’ 107-104 victory over Boston, no matter.
With 11.4 seconds remaining, Doncic received an inbound pass from Jalen Brunson, the shot clock off because Boston’s Marcus Smart had just fouled him out of the last stoppage. Doncic trailed around the arc, dribbled toward the left of the arc, and as time expired, he launched a 3-pointer that swished through the net.
In two home games against the Celtics in this calendar year, Doncic has nailed two game-winning, buzzer-beating 3-pointers.
The latest capped his best offensive game of the season — 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists on 12 of 21 field goals — and helped the Mavericks stave off the Celtics’ late upset threat.
Doncic might not have been in a position for his latest magical shot had Kristaps Porzingis not rallied with a strong fourth quarter.
Porzinigis returned to the Mavericks’ starting lineup for the first time since Oct. 26, the night he left the second half of a win over Houston with lower back tightness. The team hasn’t revealed specifics about Porzingis’ injury, and the 26-year-old hasn’t spoken publicly since it started.
But he made an emphatic return, dunking one-handed off an assist from Doncic on the Mavericks’ second possession and tallying 10 points, three rebounds and an assist in less than nine fourth-quarter minutes.
Porzingis finished with 21 points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes while Dallas’ top guards managed most of the workload instead.
Doncic played 35 minutes and made a season-best five 3-pointers on 10 attempts while Jalen Brunson, back to his sixth-man role with Porzingis’ return, added 13 points, five rebounds and five assists.
The Celtics weren’t at full strength.
Jaylen Brown — who’s been the more productive of the Celtics’ two All-Stars this season alongside Jayson Tatum — returned to Boston in the middle of their road trip after enduring a hamstring injury Thursday night.
The Celtics’ arrival in American Airlines Center also marked their third game in four days — a stretch the Mavericks were especially familiar with earlier this week — while Dallas had an advantage in rest since Wednesday’s win in San Antonio.
Doncic didn’t care, ensuring the Mavericks didn’t lament losing their 17-point halftime lead.
After he hit his latest game-winner, Doncic smiled, stuck his tongue out and streaked along the courtside seats, mobbed in celebration.
After a postgame TV interview, he walked off the court to massive applause as Brunson doused him with water.
