Inside The Celtics

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

From a dunk denied to an alley-oop and beautiful ball movement, the top five plays from Thursday's Celtics-Mavericks game features a bit of everything.

Bobby Krivitsky

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Grant Williams' putting Christian Wood in the spin cycle, Derrick White denying Spencer Dinwiddie at the rim, beautiful ball movement creating an open three, and Jayson Tatum's alley-oop to Jaylen Brown headline the breakdown of the top five plays from Thursday's Celtics-Mavericks game.

Grant Williams Puts Christian Wood in the Spin Cycle

Dallas defends the Malcolm Brogdon-Al Horford pick-and-roll with Christian Wood in a shallow drop, waiting below the screen. As that's happening, Grant Williams cuts across the baseline to the opposite corner, and Jaylen Brown replaces him.

Brogdon and Horford don't appear on the same page, as the former picks up his dribble and gets Wood to bite on a pump fake with the intent of dishing to a cutting Horford. Instead, the latter stays behind the arc.

Reggie Bullock takes away a potential pass to Horford, so Williams makes himself available. Kemba Walker and Wood switch when Brogdon pops behind the three-point line. Williams attacks the latter off the dribble, then puts him in the spin cycle when Wood tries to cut him off from the rim.

Derrick White Denies Spencer Dinwiddie

Marcus Smart doesn't want to help too far off Luka Doncic, and with Derrick White's hips open, Spencer Dinwiddie snaps a quick crossover dribble and gets into the paint.

Dinwiddie's coming downhill with a head of steam, and Williams doesn't leave Wood quickly enough to keep him from getting to the basket. But when he cocks the ball back, attempting a posterizing jam, White turns the tables with a highlight-reel block.

Jayson Tatum Slices Through Dallas' Defense

Jayson Tatum's slow tempo sells Dinwiddie on him pulling up for three. Once he gets into the paint, he goes from an in-and-out dribble to a euro step to get by Doncic. And with Wood worried about Horford in the right corner and Bullock retreating to White in the opposite corner, Tatum finishes a lefty layup without having to deal with a rim protector.

Boston's Beautiful Ball Movement Leads to a Malcolm Brogdon 3

The Celtics' ball movement was fantastic throughout Thursday's game, assisting on 29 of 41 field goals. Boston consistently operated inside-out, generating paint touches, working the ball side-to-side, and repeatedly finding the best possible shot.

In the play above, Horford's not expecting Brown to spin left as the former heads to the corner, but it doesn't result in a turnover, so no harm, no foul.

You can also see Smart's displeasure with Tim Hardaway Jr. having his hands on Brown, expressing his disapproval about the lack of a foul call to the nearest official.

Hardaway fights over the screen from Smart, and the Mavericks have the paint surrounded. But Brown's not worried about the former staying in front of him, and sees Wood, who moves his inside foot off the elbow, leave enough space to get into the paint.

That pulls Dinwiddie over, and Brown delivers a kickout pass to Williams in the corner. The latter gets Dinwiddie to bite on an up-fake, puts the ball on the deck, drawing Wood, then dishes to Brogdon, who buries a three from the right wing.

Jayson Tatum Throws the Lob, Jaylen Brown Takes Care of the Rest

It starts with a stop on the defensive end as Dinwiddie forces a low-percentage shot from the edge of the paint. Tatum pushes the pace off the miss, and the Celtics have a three-on-two advantage.

With Hardaway having to account for a potential pass to Smart, Bullock pulls over to Tatum. However, one would strongly prefer having Hardaway on Tatum, Bullock staying on Brown, and, considering the context, living with an open three for Smart.

They leave Smart open, but both take Tatum. Brown runs to the rim and gets rewarded with an alley-oop that helped seal Boston's 124-95 win over the Mavericks.

Further Reading

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 Reasons Behind the Celtics Trading Noah Vonleh to the Spurs

Celtics Star Jaylen Brown Opens up After Being 'Embarrassed' by Thunder

The Top 5 Plays from Tuesday's Celtics-Thunder Game

Here's What Stood Out in the Celtics' Loss vs. the Thunder: Turnovers and a Lack of Defensive Resistance Leads to a Blowout

Teams Showing Interest in Celtics Guard Payton Pritchard (Report)

Published
Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

Home/Top Stories