EFE 02/03/2024 at 04:34 CET
The Boston Celtics extended their winning streak to tenthe longest so far this season, by beating the Dallas Mavericks 138-110 this Friday with a Slovenian Luka Doncic excellent but insufficient to stop Joe Mazzulla’s men.
It was the 12th triple-double for Luka Doncic this season. The Slovenian had 37 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assistsand it is the fortieth time that he has achieved it by scoring at least 30 goals, placing him as the third in history to achieve it.
In the Celtics, up to seven players finished in double figures in scoring, with special mention for the ‘Big-Three’ who combined for 81 pointsadding 32 Jayson Tatum, 25 Jaylen Brown and 24 Kristaps Porzingis.
Porzingis leads the way
Boston started the game much better, with reliability from the triple, scoring two Porzingis and two more Holidays. Doncic supported his team in scoring, quickly going up to 16 points in the first quarter, while rookie Lively II kept Dallas psychologically with a spectacular dunk.
The Celtics found it very easily an open Porzingis, indefensible for his rivals and delighted to receive assistance from his teammates that he did not waste. The Latvian scored 13 points with three of four in triples in the first period.
With the 11 points lead at 30-19, it was time for Jason Kidd to gather his team in search of solutions that will soften the 7-0 partial that they had just received.
It wasn’t just a matter of the stars of Boston, away from the lights The dirty work was done in the first minutes by Derrick White with 5 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists in record time.
The Celtics’ turnovers in the final moments of the first quarter evened the duel somewhat, closing the first twelve minutes at 38-32.
Doncic and Lively keep the pulse
Boston maintained its recipe, but with Porzingis sitting and Xavier Tillman on the court, Lively II began to dominate the inside game on both sides of the court. With rebounding, with blocks, recovering balls and confirming that his offensive partnership with Doncic is fantastic in blocking and continuing.
Again six points away and This time it was Mazzulla who stopped the clash. The solution was, evidently, to have Porzingis back on the hardwood and with him, the entire starting quintet.
Headlines against headlines there was no doubt about the superiority of the locals. Especially if Tatum scored with 9 points in the second period alonetaking advantage of his one-on-one advantage against PJ Washington.
What works best not to touch it too much is the philosophy that both teams applied in their attacks, that’s why Boston continued to share the ball, quickly hitting three more three-pointers With the same path, and the vast majority of them came after an assist, the Celtics were the kings of the ‘extra-pass’.
In Dallas, Doncic shared the game and constantly found his teammates, especially Lively II, and thus came close to the triple-double before finishing the third period, adding 28 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists in 28 minutes.
The Texans reduced to three points (77-74) after five minutes played, They had never been so close since the first minutes of the meeting. Not that far, because in a few minutes Boston reacted and it was Al Horford who put up the winning goal with a block on Dante Exum in his hoop and a subsequent tap on the rival (95-82).
With 102-90 and controversy, the last chapter of the game was reached. Exum’s knee-first drive to the basket hit Porzingis’ sensitive areawas marked as a foul by the Latvian after being reviewed due to the disbelief of those present as it was considered a ‘natural movement’.
Celtics finish off exhausted Mavs
With a very short rotation by Jason Kidd and leaving hardly any minutes for big guys and newcomers like Daniel GaffordDallas was seen exhausted in the final stretch and with no options to return to the game.
On the contrary, Boston never lowered its intensity and showed why it is the best team in the NBA Today. Every man Mazzulla put on the court contributed, including Horford, with a fabulous end to the game, scoring five points from different positions, for a total of 12 points and 8 rebounds.
The locals also completed their work of art from the perimeter with 21 triples convertedfive more than their average with which they lead the league.
The last four minutes were for the substitutes, with the locals more motivated and closing the victory at 138-110.
2024-03-02 03:34:06
#Celtics #overwhelm #Mavs #Luka #Doncic #manages #stand
