[Film Room] How the Celtics Limited Luka Doncic's Impact as a Scorer and Facilitator

Luka Doncic finished with 23 points on 23 shots and had more turnovers than assists in the Celtics' most sizable road win this season.

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Typically, defending Luka Doncic means a team has to pick its poison. Play him one-on-one, and he's likely to uncork a step-back three or get to the basket. Send a help defender, and he'll find his open teammate, leading to a clean look from beyond the arc.

But in the Celtics' 124-95 win against the Mavericks on Thursday, Boston's most sizable margin of victory on the road this season, the visitors threaded the needle, limiting Luka Doncic's impact as a scorer and facilitator.

The heartbeat of Dallas' offense finished with 23 points on 23 shots, went 0/6 from beyond the arc, and had more turnovers (four) than assists (three).

The Celtics stayed true to their switching scheme, typically only straying from it when a pick was high enough up the floor for the on-ball defender guarding Doncic to go under the screen.

In the play below, Al Horford denies the Mavericks' star from getting anything he likes around the basket, so he kicks the ball out to Reggie Bullock. Horford and Jayson Tatum switch on the Christian Wood screen, and Marcus Smart is helping from slightly above the nail, which is the center of the free-throw line.

Tatum gives Doncic space on the drive, first gets help from Smart, then Horford, and while the latter could probably draw a foul after his ball fake, he doesn't go that route, leaving him to settle for a contested step-back fadeaway jumper that badly bricks.

Boston made it a point to show Doncic multiple bodies while trusting the weak-side defender to zone two. That allowed the Celtics to deter Doncic from the rim without conceding open threes to his teammates.

In the following clip, Doncic isn't worried about Grant Williams; he's looking at Marcus Smart, who's in the middle of the paint, operating like a free safety.

Malcolm Brogdon is zoning two, and with Smart lurking and Robert Williams at the rim, attached to Dwight Powell, Doncic settles for a contested step-back three that airballs.

Doncic also had a few battles with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.

On this next play, Smart spins off the Powell screen to stay with Dallas' MVP candidate, with Jaylen Brown waiting just below the arc. Robert Williams rotates to tag the roller, Powell. Brown moves at a deliberate pace that allows him to stay in the passing lane, then dissuade Doncic from getting into the paint before picking up Powell.

Doncic loses the ball for a second, and while entangled with Smart, he doesn't see McKinley Wright IV in the right corner. Even if he does, Williams has repeatedly proven he can get out there to challenge that shot, so one shouldn't assume the Mavericks missed out on a good look.

Brogdon stunts to help against Doncic's drive; Smart keeps his arms back to avoid getting baited into a foul, then challenges a floater that bounces off the cylinder several times before falling into the arms of Grant Williams.

And when Dallas went to a five-out offense, Boston countered with a more aggressive defensive approach, sending a second defender while having the next closest player zone two.

At the start of the play below, Brown drops down, sagging off Wood to help against Doncic in the low post. The response by Tatum and Horford after Brown bites on Wood's pump fake is quite impressive as they blow up this possession.

Tatum comes off Doncic to help prevent Wood from getting to the rim. With Doncic moving on the catch, the best Tatum can do is funnel him to Horford. The latter takes the baton while simultaneously making a potential pass to Wood difficult.

Tatum stays in the play, and when Doncic exposes the ball, the former swipes at it, knocking it free. Brown picks up the loose change as Doncic crashes to the floor, igniting a transition opportunity that ends with Tatum earning a trip to the free-throw line.

The Mavericks were without Dorian Finney-Smith, Maxi Kleber, and Josh Green, and Doncic briefly left the game in the second quarter to get his ankle re-taped and also appeared to hurt his ribs at one point. But the strategies Boston expertly executed wouldn't have changed.

Dallas shot 37.8 percent from the field, including 7/32 (21.9 percent) from beyond the arc, as the Celtics kept Doncic in check as a scorer and facilitator.

Further Reading

Jayson Tatum Tweet Sparks Speculation About Potential Celtics Reunion With Former All-Star

Boston Fans Will Absolutely Love What Jaylen Brown Said Before Celtics-Mavericks Tilt

Here's What Stood Out in the Celtics' Win vs. the Mavericks: Adhering to the Right Approach and Tatum's Triple Double Leads to 29-Point Victory

The Top 5 Plays from Thursday's Celtics-Mavericks Game

The Reasons Behind the Celtics Trading Noah Vonleh to the Spurs