Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Mavericks: Boston at Its Best Against NBA's Top-Ranked Defense

Ball movement, energy, and up-tempo attack propel the Celtics past Luka Doncic and the NBA's top-ranked defense.

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 68 points, with the former delivering 37 on 11/24 shooting, taking 15 free throws and making 13, also contributing 13 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks while only committing two turnovers.

Brown provided 31 points, converting on 13/18 shots, grabbed four rebounds, dished out four assists, swiped two steals, and, like Tatum, committed only two giveaways.

Against a Dallas defense that entered Wednesday night's matchup forcing the most turnovers in the NBA, the Celtics gave the ball away only 12 times. Most of those were dead-ball turnovers, helping them limit the Mavericks to ten points off of those. Conversely, Boston turned 14 turnovers from the visitors into 21 points.

And while Luka Doncic registered 42 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds for Dallas, the Celtics' energy, ball movement, assisting on 29 of 45 field goals, off-ball activity, and ability to minimize the impact of Doncic's supporting cast allowed Boston to control the pace of play for much of the night.

Now, for a deep dive into the Celtics' 125-112 win, where their offense shined against the defense yielding the fewest points per contest.

Celtics Play to Their Strength, Push the Pace in 34-Point First Quarter

The Celtics registered 34 points in the first frame, while holding the Mavericks to 23, helping them consistently push the pace.

They also kept the ball moving side-to-side and attacked the basket aggressively, a formula that translated to shooting 56.5 percent from the field, knocking down four of their nine threes (44.4 percent), producing 18 points in the paint, and assisting on eight of their 13 made shots.

It also helped that Boston converted five Dallas turnovers into eight points.

Jaylen Brown finished the quarter with a team-high 13 points on 6/8 shooting, doing all of his damage from inside the paint with only one basket coming from outside the restricted area.

Defending Doncic

Luka Doncic played the whole first quarter and was responsible for 15 of the Mavericks' 23 points. He routinely punished Al Horford and Sam Hauser on switches, proving too quick for the former and too strong for the latter.

Even Doncic's misses were on quality shots he's plenty capable of making and had more to do with luck than the defense denying him from getting to what he wanted.

After only taking three shots in the second frame, Doncic was more aggressive in the second half, getting deeper into the paint and showing off his footwork as he pivoted into multiple turnaround mid-range jumpers.

The Celtics and any other opponent will live with the latter, but those shots helped Dallas slow the pace to its preferred tempo and cut a 27-point deficit to 11 in the final frame.

A Play That Deserves Highlighting

In one of the Celtics' prettiest plays of the season, after serving as one half of a staggered screen, Malcolm Brogdon flared out for a pass at the left wing, got into the paint, kicked the ball to Horford at the right wing, who delivered an entry pass to Marcus Smart on the right block. 

Smart then left a bounce pass for a cutting Tatum, who inverted his wrist for a righty layup from the left side of the basket for two points at the cup.

pic.twitter.com/eJOGpbQATb

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) November 24, 2022

Despite 27-Point Deficit, Mavericks Gain Control of the Pace

When Jaylen Brown drilled a three to put Boston ahead 96-69 with 4:16 left in the third quarter, it became a question of the Celtics keeping their focus with a chance for their starters to enjoy much of the final frame from the bench.

But the Mavericks stuck to their identity, operating slowly, with Doncic dribbling deep into the shot clock. And with him producing points or finding, usually, Christain Wood, who finished with 26 points, often capitalizing on rolls to the rim after screening for Doncic, and the hosts getting lethargic offensively, Dallas pulled within 11 in the fourth quarter.

Still, with such a large margin for error to work with, it only took a few positive plays for the Celtics to finish off the Mavericks. And when Tatum swatted a Doncic layup attempt, leading to a three for Brown at the other end, with a 124-107 advantage and 2:11 on the game clock, it sealed the win for Boston.

It's heating up🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/BUc6mSPJnk

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 24, 2022

Boston's Ball Movement at the Root of Its Victory

In the Celtics' 125-112 win on Wednesday, outside of a late lull, they stayed true to the formula that staked them to a double-digit lead in the first frame.

Getting stops defensively, working the ball side-to-side, and staying active off the ball kept the hosts in rhythm for most of the game. Against a Dallas team that entered the night allowing the fewest points per game, boasting arguably the top three-point defense in the NBA, Boston assisted on 29/45 (64.4 percent) of its field goals and shot 53.6 percent from the floor, including 17/34 from beyond the arc.

Just as stops fuel teams offensively, the Celtics consistently being able to set up their half-court defense made it easier to limit the Mavericks and play with a double-digit lead much of the night.

Up Next

The Celtics host the Kings on Friday in a battle of the NBA's highest-scoring offenses. The game tips off at 8:00 pm EST. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.

Further Reading

Celtics Fans will Absolutely Love What Jayson Tatum Said About Playing in Boston

Mavericks' Luka Doncic has Extremely High Praise for Celtics Star Duo

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Loss vs. Bulls: Lack of Energy and Defensive Resistance Doom Boston as Nine-Game Win Streak Ends

The Top 5 Plays from Friday's Celtics-Pelicans Game

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