The Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, 106-99. Jayson Tatum led Boston with 31 points. Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks scored 35 points in their defeat. The Mavericks are now behind 0-3 in the Finals, and no team has ever recovered from that disadvantage. Kristaps Porzingis was ruled out of the game before it started due to a foot ligament issue. With his performance in the first two games, it was a huge loss, but the Celtics had played many games without him during this span, making his absence less disruptive than it could have been.

Dallas faced an especially raucous crowd in the AAC and jumped up to a 13-point lead in the first quarter. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, whose jump shot appeared to have recovered significantly, made scoring look effortless, and Dallas appeared to have regained their control in the paint, scoring 20 points to Boston’s eight. Still, the Celtics were not about to let this game slide away with a 3-0 lead, and at the end of the quarter, the score was nearly even, with Dallas leading 31-30.

The remainder of the half unfolded as if Doncic and Irving had received a memo outlining how stars should perform. They attempted 30 of Dallas’ 44 shots and scored 37 of its 51 points. Luka struggled with his outside shot, going 1-for-6 from distance, but his effort in the paint seemed easy. Meanwhile, Kyrie discovered his jumper, hitting a three for the first time in the series and going 4-of-5 in the half. Other Mavericks contributed during what was largely a back-and-forth period. Dereck Lively’s energy radiated off the screen throughout the quarter, inspiring his teammates to respond to every Celtic basket. PJ Washington made two solid passes down low, leading to easy baskets for Dallas’ big men. The second quarter ended with the Mavs up one point, 51-50.

Boston started the second half well, making their first seven shots in the third quarter and eventually developing a 10-point lead. The Dallas offensive, which looked so strong during a 31-point first quarter, faded to 19 in the third. The Celtics had no such troubles, shooting 65% from the floor and scoring 35 points.

As the fourth quarter began, things appeared to worsen further. Boston’s three-point surge continued, and their lead grew to 21. On the point of being completely washed out of its own building, Dallas began to show signs of life. With less than eight minutes remaining, PJ Washington and Josh Green combined for a 12-0 run, cutting the Celtics’ lead to nine.

Call it Dallas’ defense, call it Boston going cold, but Dallas put together a 20-2 run, and by the halfway point of the quarter, the Boston lead was all but gone, 93-90. Looking at a 21-point deficit in the fourth, Dallas could’ve easily just let go of the rope, but the team showed tremendous grit to fight their way back into contention.

Then, as both teams fought for a bucket, Doncic received two personal fouls and, after a failed challenge, was fouled out of the game with six. It was his first time fouling out during a playoff game. The score remained 93-90, and with Dallas trailing by -12 in non-Doncic minutes, completing this comeback would require a significant boost.

Dallas closed to within one point at 92-93, but after a Boston basket and a Dallas turnover, the Mavericks were unable to take a shot for the lead. In the end, Dallas couldn’t finish the comeback, and the Celtics won Game 3 106-99.