The Dallas Mavericks lapped the Boston Celtics in Game 4, preventing a sweep in the Finals. Luka Dončić was relentless on offense, cared to defend and yapped considerably less to the referees. Kyrie Irving consumed inside protections. And the hosts outrebounded the Celtics by 21.

Early, the Mavericks’ defense permitted two of nine 3-pointers. But Jayson Tatum got loose, making a 3-pointer against drop coverage and scoring on three rim attacks.

For the Mavs, Dončić was unrestrainable, dribbling to his spots in the middle for jumpers plus floaters and going low for layups while also making three freebies. Irving maneuvered into the lane for two shots and a layup, swished a triple in Jaylen Brown’s face and finished at the rim on a transition pick-and-roll set with Daniel Gafford. And Dereck Lively’s impact was like a sledgehammer to rotting wood, slamming a lob, canning his first-ever tray (in the corner), and blocking Xavier Tillman’s shot under the rim.

The Mavericks led 34-21 through 12 minutes.

The hosts followed up in the second quarter, contesting the Celtics’ jumpers and rim attacks on time, holding them to three of 16 field goals.

On the attack, Dante Exum provided a jolt off the bench, dribbling into the square for a layup and making a right-wing trifecta, set up by Dončić’s drive-and-kick on the left side. And Dončić scored four more times at close range and downed a step-back jumper from 17 feet out.

The Mavericks were on top 61-35 at halftime and ahead on the glass by 16. Additionally, the team had 34 paint points, three on the break, 10 via second chances, nine off turnovers and 19 from the bench.

The Celtics had 12 interior marks, two in the open court, none on extra tries, six off turnovers and six from the reserves.

Subsequently, Gafford was like a mobile stick of dynamite in the third quarter. He blocked Tatum’s jumper on the wing, rejected Brown’s baseline attack at the rim and slammed a lob on the break, assisted by Dončić at mid-court. Irving also got involved, recording five of six attempts in the frame.

The Mavericks were up 32 at the start of the fourth quarter.

The rest of the match was no contest- not one Maverick and Celtic starter played a minute of the fourth quarter. Still, the hosts reached a 48-point lead with six minutes left.

The Mavericks won 122-84. On top of that, the group had 60 paint points, 11 on the break, 16 via second chances, 17 off turnovers and 54 from the bench.

Dallas’ double-digit scorers were Dončić (29), Irving (21), Tim Hardaway Jr. (15), Lively (11) and Exum (10),

The Celtics tallied 26 interior marks, six in the open court, two on extra tries, nine off turnovers and 40 from the reserves.

Boston’s double-digit scorers were Tatum (15), Sam Hauser (14), Payton Pritchard (11), Jrue Holiday (10) and Brown (10).

Dončić handled the on-court interview. When asked about carrying momentum to Boston, he said, “We got to play the same way. We know how tough it is to play there…”

At the postgame presser, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said, “It was this or we go on vacation… our role players stepped up and made some threes and that’s what we needed tonight.”

The visiting Celtics took control and nearly gave away the match in the second half, snatching a 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals minus their backline protector, Kristaps Porziņģis. Jaylen Brown dispensed 30 points and a career-high eight Playoff helpings plus outplayed Luka Dončić, who was also disqualified with six fouls in the last four minutes. Jayson Tatum sliced the interior. And the Mavericks failed to protect the three-point line again.

Jaylen Brown handled the on-court interview. He said, “We (the Celtics) kept our poise… we found a way to win.”

The Mavericks pounced on the Celtics, taking a 9-2 edge in the first two minutes behind Kyrie Irving and Dončić’s drive-bys, plus the latter’s pull-up triple in Tatum’s face.

Tatum responded for Gang Green with 13 points, including a fastbreak dunk to end the interval. Brown supplied four marks and set up three teammates with four dimes. And the guests struck gold with Sam Houser’s two trays, one coming as Dončić was late to tag him in transition because he was complaining to a ref.

Then both squads tightened their defense in the second quarter. Yet Irving made three of Dallas’ four second-quarter threes without missing and maneuvered into the paint for a floater. And Boston’s Tatum swished a top-of-the-key triple, dribbled past Tim Hardaway Jr. into the paint for a layup and scored on the break.

At halftime, the Celtics were behind 50-51 and down on the glass by six. Additionally, the squad had 16 paint points, 10 on the break, two via second chances, four off turnovers and nine from the bench (Hauser).

The Mavericks had 30 interior marks, seven in the open court, six on extra tries, five off turnovers and seven from the bench.

Subsequently, the Celtics started the third quarter by making seven consecutive baskets by Brown, Tatum, and Jrue Holiday. Next, Brown continued, burying a corner triple, nailing a step-back mid-range shot over Maxi Kleber and dunking powerfully off a pick-and-roll set to end the frame to lead by 15 points.

For the Mavericks, Dončić broke into the box, finishing thrice, and Irving made three shots at mid to long-range. The rest of the group converted two of seven ventures.

The fourth quarter began with the Celtics up 85-70.

Dončić then committed a turnover/offensive foul 13 seconds into the period by illegally dribbling into Brown at the post, pushing with the off arm. Yet the Celtics climbed to a 21-point lead a minute in. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd followed up with a timeout.

A 19-3 Maverick stampede ensued, sparked by the defense contesting shots on time and staying in front of the ball. Afterward, Irving’s three straight freebies cut Dallas’ deficit to three points. But Dončić made one of five baskets and had three more fouls, reaching six and disqualifying him with four minutes left.

The Celtics answered with Brown’s tip-in and mid-range jumper over Hardaway, Derrick White’s 3-pointer and Tatum’s dunk through the center.

The Celtics won 106-99 but were outrebounded by seven. On top of that, the squad had 36 paint points, 12 on the break, six via second chances, 13 off turnovers and 12 from the bench.

Brown had 30 points on 12 of 22 shots, with eight rebounds, eight career-high Playoff dimes, one block and three turnovers. Tatum had 31 points on 42.3% accuracy, with six rebounds, six assists, one steal, and two turnovers. And White logged 16 points, making four of 10 attempts, with five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a turnover.

The Mavericks had 52 interior marks, 12 in the open court, 14 on extra tries, 12 off turnovers and 16 from the reserves.

Irving had 35 points on 13 of 28 tries, with three rebounds, two assists and two turnovers. Dončić produced 27 marks on 40.7% shooting, with six rebounds, six assists, one steal and three turnovers. The other double-digit scorers were P.J. Washington (13) and Dereck Lively II (11).

At the postgame presser, Mazzulla spoke on the approach for Game 4. He said. “We’re just as vulnerable, if not more vulnerable than they are.”

Tatum told the press that he told Brown he was proud of him after the game.

 

 

 

The Mavericks hung around for 10 minutes, courtesy of Luka Dončić’s early burst of action, but the hosts doubled up their output midway through the second frame and continued to ravage them in the last two quarters at TD Garden. The guests refused to cover the arc, and their main two, Kyrie Irving and Dončić, were outperformed by Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porziņģis.

Early, Dončić was defended by Brown before the switch. He dribbled to the nail, hitting a 12-foot shot, breaking a double team to finish an acrobatic layup between four Celtics and connected on a step-back triple over his old teammate, Porziņģis.

Irving helped out, canning two mid-range jumpers on the right side, yet the rest of the Mavericks downed four of 12 baskets in the interval.

For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum was operating as an unsteady setup man, picking up three dimes and three turnovers on drives plus poor passes. The Celtics made seven of 15 trays in the period, but the tide shifted when Porziņģis checked in for Al Horford. The visitors were then overwhelmed by Gang Green as KP blocked two shots and tore up mismatches with his mid-range jumper. He also posted up Dereck Lively II and turned the corner on him to get inside for a dunk, and swished a trailing trifecta on the left side.

The Celtics closed the first quarter on a 24-7 run and led 37-20 at the end of it.

Subsequently, Brown targeted Dončić twice, dribbling left to the rim for a basket and blowing by a double team, resulting in a vicious dunk. His other two scores in the sequence were a corner banger and dunk after stripping Dončić at midcourt. Brown didn’t miss in the second quarter.

Porziņģis added three of four buckets, bringing his output to 18 points on 78% accuracy in the first half.

On the Mavericks side, making three of nine attempts to start the quarter had them behind 29 points with four minutes left until intermission. But Dončić and P.J. Washington sliced the deficit to 21 to end the half.

At the break, the Celtics were up 63-42 and ahead on the glass by eight. Additionally, the group had 22 paint points, eight in the open court, two via second chances, nine off turnovers and 24 from the bench.

The Mavericks had 24 interior marks, four in the open court, six on extra tries, six off turnovers and four from the reserves.

Next, the Mavericks came out of the break making nine of 17 shots through seven-and-a-half minutes. Irving tallied six points, including an impressive blow by Horford on the baseline. And Dončić dribbled to the cup twice past Tatum and Horford and swished two step-back triples to cut Boston’s lead to eight points. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla followed up with a timeout.

Defensively, the Celtics locked up the visitors for the rest of the quarter, allowing two points from the line and forcing eight consecutive misses. In that span, Brown had three blocks, denying Derrick Jones Jr.’s lob, then his follow-up dunk and swatting away Irving’s layup as the low help protector. And on offense, Porziņģis, Tatum, Brown and Horford scored 14 points.

The fourth quarter began with the Celtics on top 86-68.

The hosts went on a 14-7 run through nearly seven minutes. It compelled coach Jason Kidd to surrender, subbing out Dončić and Irving for Jaden Hardy and Dante Exum.

The Celtics won 107-89 and outrebounded the Mavs by four. Furthermore, the Celtics racked up 28 paint points, 10 on the break, 10 via second chances, 18 off turnovers and 32 from the bench.

Brown had 22 points on seven of 12 looks, with six rebounds, two assists, three steals, three blocks and two turnovers. Porziņģis tallied 20 marks on 62% shooting, with six boards and three denials. The other double-digit scorers were Tatum (16), White (15), Jrue Holiday (12) and Horford (10).

The Mavericks had 46 interior points, six in the open court, 16 on extra tries, 13 off turnovers and 20 from the reserves.

Dončić put up 30 points on 12 of 26 tries, with 10 rebounds, one assist, two steals and four turnovers. Washington logged 14 points on 45% accuracy, with eight boards and one dime. The other double-digit scorers were Hardy (13) and Irving (12).

Tatum handled the on-court interview. He said the team’s job was to suppress the players around Dončić. The other Mavericks made 39.6% of shots.

At the postgame presser, Porziņģis was asked about coming off the bench for the second time in his career. He said, “From day one, I came here (Boston) and said I’ll do whatever it takes to help this team win… I stepped into that role and embraced it and had a good game.”

Mazzulla was asked about the Mavericks cutting the Celtics’ lead to eight points in the third quarter. He said he was pleased with how his group handled the burst. “That’s going to happen. You’re not going to stop that. We just have to have the poise and toughness to work through it. I thought our guys did that.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Dallas Mavericks won the Western Conference gauntlet, earning a trip to the NBA Finals with their Game 5 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in hostile territory.

The celebration at center court was rained over by boos plus cheers, and Dončic was named Western Conference Finals MVP. He said the award represented the team’s work.

Kyrie Irving said, “Boston’s in the way, in between our goal.”

Yet early, Rudy Gobert forced two successful switches, scoring at close range for the Wolves. Karl-Anthony Towns scored two putbacks. And Anthony Edwards logged a putback dunk and finished on the break.

But Luka Dončic was as unforgiving as the Terminator, outscoring the Timberwolves by himself. He connected on four 3-pointers, made an eight-foot floater, shot twice over drop coverage and powered through Jaden McDaniels to the nail for a jumper.

He also picked up two dimes in the first quarter- a lob to Lively on a pick-and-roll set and a skip pass around a blitz to Irving, who broke into the lane for a layup.

Through 12 minutes, Don Luka had 20 points on eight of 11 shots, with two rebounds and two assists. And the guests led the hosts 35-19.

Defensively, the Mavericks were slow to contest shots behind the arc. Still, the Timberwolves bricked makeable looks, downing just one in the second quarter- a pull-up by Edwards on the wing after dropping Dante Exum with his dribble, cutting his team’s deficit to 20 points.

On the other side, Dončic maneuvered to the baseline, swishing a bucket over Gobert and made a catch-and-shoot trifecta on the right wing.

Yet, Irving was the star of the period, working around traps and supplying five baskets with no misses, attacking at short and long range. He totaled 15 points in the frame.

The Mavericks were ahead at halftime 69-40. Additionally, the group had 24 paint points, six on the break, two via second chances, eight off turnovers and 10 from the bench.

The Timberwolves accumulated 22 interior points, two in the open court, eight on extra tries, four off turnovers and two from the reserves.

Then the Mavs emerged from intermission, running a pick-and-roll set with Dončic and P.J. Washington, resulting in a lob for the latter.

Dončić carried on, registering three of four baskets in the interval. The Wolves failed to realize how he devoured blitzes up top, sending two at him, and he quickly passed to Dereck Lively II in the middle, who made the read to the left wing to Irving and Jaden Hardy.

Next, Irving danced on the right side, canning a long two and step-back three over Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

Washington contributed five points for Dallas in the quarter, too.

Defensively, the Mavs couldn’t stop Towns on the go, fouling him multiple times, and he made four of 10 baskets in the third. And Edwards’ deep shot was on target, burying three triples.

Yet, the fourth period began with the Mavericks ahead 97-73.

The Timberwolves resembled a wounded fighter, backpedaling in the ring with their jaw dangling as blood drips to the canvas.

But there was no time to relent. The Mavericks closed the game, producing 11 of 20 fourth-quarter baskets, led by Irving’s seven points.

The Timberwolves outscored the Mavericks in the last 12 minutes by three points, but it was inconsequential.

The Mavericks won 124-103. Furthermore, the squad had 48 paint points, eight on the break, 11 via second chances, 14 off turnovers and 24 from the bench.

Dončić (36), Irving (36), Washington (12) and Daniel Gafford (11) were the Mavericks’ double-digit scorers.

The Wolves had 46 interior points, 10 in the open court, 14 on extra tries, eight off turnovers and 23 from the reserves.

Edwards (28) and Towns (28) were the Wolves’ double-digit scorers.

At the postgame presser, Mavs coach Jason Kidd was asked about his team’s preparation for the Boston Celtics in the championship round. He said, the Mavericks will encounter a five spread out offense. “Boston shoots the three at a high rate… they’ve been there before, they’re well coached and this is another great test.”

The Mavericks’ previous two Finals trips were in 2006, losing in six to the Miami Heat, and 2011, beating the Heat in six. For the latter, Kidd was second in minutes (35.4) and first in assists (7.4) at age 37.

 

 

 

It’s taking the WNBA too long to suspend Diana Taurasi for her dangerous late-game hit on Cheyenne Parker-Tyus or, at the very least, fine her. A WNBA spokesperson didn’t respond to an immediate request for comment when asked if the league was looking into the matter.

In the last 35 seconds of a tight match, the hosting Phoenix Mercury led 86-83. Then Parker-Tyus pivoted in the lane and scored at close range against Sophie Cunningham while illegally using her left arm. If the refs were sharp, they would have flagged an offensive foul in real-time. But Taurasi subsequently jumped into Parker-Tyus’ body, leading with her arm as the ball trickled through the net. It was an obvious intent to injure, and worse yet, at a critical part of the game.

The refs initiated a review and, incomprehensibly, ruled that there was no foul. I’m convinced this crew would have checked out the Zapruder film and told JFK to take some ibuprofen.

Parker-Tyus watched the rest of the game from the bench after supplying 12 points on 50% shooting in the fourth quarter.

And the Mercury won 88-85.

Atlanta Dream coach Tanisha Wright, Allisha Gray and Crystal Dangerfield were made available to the press and neither was asked about the incident.

I suspect at least two factors are causing the WNBA to be slow on the draw. One, they don’t want to publicly embarrass the refs with a contradicting report. Two, Parker-Tyus wasn’t seriously hurt despite getting grounded.

Imagine if Parker-Tyus threw her massive body into Taurasi’s smaller frame instead. The latter would have left on a stretcher.

Taurasi should get sent home for Tuesday’s match versus the Las Vegas Aces and Thursday’s against the Washington Mystics.

The last WNBA press release was on May 16th, announcing Mortgage Matchup as the official WNBA and NBA mortgage partner.