Celtics Clinch NBA Championship Using Lopsided Game 5 Victory Over Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks were handily defeated by the Boston Celtics as the team closed out the NBA Finals with a victory at TD Garden, clinching an 18th title.

Jun 17, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) shoots the ball against Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) during the second quarter in game five of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports / Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

BOSTON — In a second consecutive potential elimination game, the Dallas Mavericks fell short 106-88 against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The outcome clinched a championship for the Celtics while eliminating the Mavs, who trailed by as many as 26 points in the second half.

Luka Doncic finished the night with 28 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists on a night the Mavericks sorely struggled offensively as a unit. Kyrie Irving was held to 15 points while shooting 5 of 16 overall and 3 of 9 from deep. The superstar backcourt was outscored by Celtics superstars Jayson Tatum (31 points) and Jaylen Brown (21 points), who combined for 52 points.

“I’m proud of every guy that stepped on the floor, all the coaches, all the people behind (the scenes),” Doncic said. “Obviously, we didn’t win the finals, but we did have a hell of a season, and I’m proud of every one of them.”

Jun 17, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) shoots the ball against Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) during the second quarter in game five of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports / Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

The Mavericks did have some supporting cast players step up with timely contributions, with Josh Green being the most significant example. He scored 14 points coming off the bench with four made 3-pointers. Derrick Jones Jr. was the team's only other double-figure scorer with 10 points, but many of the team's role players struggled.

"I mean, basketball is a game of centimeters, man, sometimes inches, so when a ball is flying off your hands, sometimes it's going to feel good, sometimes it isn't," Irving said. "That's the maturity aspect. You got to move on to the next thing, and I've been talking about that. Whether I'm playing well specifically scoring-wise or I'm not, there is a team aspect here that we're becoming more gelled into or dialed into.

"I can score 25 points, but if I don't, we got to be able to pick each other up, and I think that's what we're learning about each other now, where they're going to be games where the shooting is not going to go well, particularly for me or someone else on the team," Irving explained. "And that's where we have to galvanize as a group and other players make plays and opportunities created for one another."

Like early in the series, Brown began the game taking on the Doncic assignment. He aggressively denied the Slovenian superstar the ball on the first possession. That intensity from Boston's defense continued, clearly motivated to hang the franchise's 18th banner in the rafters.

It wasn't until the 8:59 mark of the opening period that Dallas managed to score. The play that got the Mavericks on the board was a ball screen with Doncic leading to a lob pass to Jnes as a roller for a dunk. The Celtics jumped to a 9-2 start as Dallas struggled to score. Al Horford hit a 3-pointer on the trail. Doncic created momentum by attacking the restricted area by playing off two with a fake to create an and-one.

"I mean, they just -- they came out aggressive, man. They were good defensively," Green said. "They're a great defensive team. Respect to them and respect to the coaches for their defensive scheme."

Kristaps Porzingis checked into the game with 6:49 left in the first quarter and received a loud ovation from the TD Garden crowd. Dallas was intent on using double screener actions often to force the right switch. However, it wasn't until Boston left Green wide open on back-to-back possessions after he screened for Doncic that momentum was achieved. Green hit consecutive 3-pointers to cut Boston's lead to 13-11 midway through the quarter. Derrick White answered the final of Green's two makes with a 3-pointer.

"Man, from day one when I came in, my mindset was I'm going to give everything to this team and this city to try to win a championship here because I knew these guys have already been so close," Porzingis said. "Yeah, once I got hurt, it was a heartbreaking moment for me. I didn't want to accept the truth. It was like, no way it happened. But, yeah, tonight was the night. I was like, listen, I'm going to give it everything I have."

The Mavericks effectively moved the ball, leading to a lob from Irving to Lively, reducing Boston's edge to 16-13 with 3:56 left to play. This prompted the Celtics to call a timeout. Coming out of the break, Doncic used a one-legged jumper to make it a one-point game.

After receiving limited playing time, Dante Exum provided a substantial spark off the bench in Game 4. He checked into the game with 2:33 left in the first period. Dallas went small with Washington and Kleber in the frontcourt. Still, that combination proved inadequate for the moment, going away from a formula that worked well in Game 4, favoring having an energetic offensive rebounding threat on the floor as often as possible.

Exum received a screen from Doncic and was left wide open with Porzingis in a deep drop, and he made it. Brown answered with an empathic dunk on the other end to spark a run. A made 3-pointer from Sam Hauser followed, then finishes on the break from Brown and Tatum followed. Boston was suddenly ahead 28-18 to end the first quarter.

Boston was intent on forcing Lively to switch onto Tatum and having Hauser come up to set a ghost screen, causing Dallas to break down. Hauser hit a jumper on the first attempt running this, and then a clean look was generated but missed on the next. Doncic hardly rested before coming to the scorer's table to check back into the game. The focus shifted to Porzingis hunting Irving in the post, and he scored, making it a 14-point game.

"Yeah, we had some great looks there that just didn't go down for us," Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. "Kai has a layup that rims in and out. P.J. had great looks. It just wasn't our night offensively."

Tatum continued to attack Lively on a switch, using a slow step deep on a drive to draw a foul from Kleber, who rotated over in help defense. Tatum's made free throw positioned Boston to be up by 15 points midway through the second period.

Washington attacked downhill and found Gafford on a lob, which appeared to be a play that could create momentum. Then, a bad pass from Boston resulted in a turnover. Irving pushed on the break to attack the rim, drawing help before making a wraparound pass to Gafford for another dunk. A pair of transition finishes after empty Celtics possessions—first by Washington, then by Jones—made it 48-39 with 4:53 left before halftime. Like it did for the Mavericks earlier in the half, the Celtics going small backfired.

"Turnovers. They got out in transition and made shots," Washington said. "They made a lot of threes. That's what happened."

Tatum continued to pick on the Mavericks' switching. He worked Lively down while Doncic watched the ball, allowing Jrue Holiday to flash to the paint from the dunker spot as a relief option. Brown attacked the rim on the break on the following possession, setting up a 54-39 edge for Boston, but Green hit another 3-pointer to calm it down. That didn't last. The Celtics used a 6-0 run with a pair of made shots from beyond the arc. Dallas was down by 18 points as a result of this swing. Tatum hit an isolation 3-pointer as the final exclamation of the half for Boston to briefly make it a 20-point game. Doncic answered with an aggressive drive, ending with an awkward angled finish for an and-one.

" I think they tried to make us play one-on-one and not help as much. Credit to them," Washington said. "They did a good job. Obviously, we'll learn from it and be better."

Doncic missed the free throw, allowing a nightmare scenario again: Payton Pritchard having the ball in the open floor to take a half-court shot to beat the buzzer, just as he had pulled off in Game 2. The first half ended with the Mavericks trailing 67-46. Neither Doncic nor Irving managed to succeed in scoring consistently. Doncic scored nine points on 4 of 10 shooting while missing his three deep attempts, going 1 of 3 from the free throw line, and turning it over three times. Irving scored five points while shooting 2 of 8 overall and 1 of 4 from the perimeter. Boston already had 10 made 3-pointers at this point, Tatum scoring 16, Brown adding 15, and Holiday chipping in 11. Tatum already dished out nine assists.

After halftime, the Mavericks were already in desperation mode. Doncic posted up White and made a quick turnaround jumper to get Dallas on the board. Boston remained hot, using a 3-pointer from White followed by Horford to make it a 25-point game. At this point, Dallas would require a steep climb that proved too much to overcome.

The Celtics made timely plays early in the third quarter to solidify their advantage. Dallas failed to grab a defensive rebound after a missed free throw by Horford, leading to Holiday cutting and finishing at the rim. The Mavericks entered a timeout they called with 9:10 left in the period, trailing 78-52.

The closest the Mavericks came after gaining momentum was 18 points after Doncic drove to the rim and drew contact, playing off two feet for an and-one. Tim Hardaway Jr. checked into the game at this point, with Dallas seeking more offensive firepower. Later in the period, Dallas went small again with Washington and Kleber. Doncic was often put in a position to get targeted off-ball by Boston while the unit struggled to get defensive stops in meaningful moments.

“They were physical – a lot,” Doncic said. “They have great defenders. They’re a great team. That’s what they do.”

The Celtics heated up on jump shots again, taking a commanding 86-67 lead entering the fourth period. A moment that signaled the outcome being emphatically clinched was an isolation drive from Brown against Doncic, leading to a dropoff pass to Porzingis after Lively helped, leading to a wide-open dunk. Dallas was down by 21 points with 9:08 left to play.

Doncic tried to will the Mavericks back with consecutive scoring possessions, but the Celtics continued to fire back immediately, including an and-one finish from Tatum. The special team Boston had built was on display to close out the game, clinching the franchise's first NBA championship since 2008.

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