DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks stayed alive in Game 4 on Friday night at the American Airlines Center, earning a 122-84 victory over the Boston Celtics. Dallas is trailing in the series 3-1 now, but they are still afloat. Luka Doncic led the charge in the game.

It was a tremendous way to answer for Luka after he received harsh criticism following Game 3. The Mavericks star scored 29 points to go along with five rebounds, five assists, and three steals.

After Game 3, Doncic was criticized for fouling out and complaining to officials. Luka expressed a desire to return to having fun on the floor after the contest, and he was seen smiling often during Game 4. The Mavericks benefited as a result to say the least.

“Just helps out my team,” Doncic said of not arguing with the referees as often. “We were locked in, especially on the defense end. We played with pace. It helped them. I'm here to help them in every way I can. We just got to play like that.”

Mavs head coach Jason Kidd had fired back at the harsh comments against Luka Doncic before Game 4. Doncic responded to Kidd's comments after the contest.

“He didn't say anything to me specifically,” Doncic said. “But that speaks a lot about him. He always has players' backs. He always support us. That's a big thing, to have a coach like that.”

Mavs, Luka Doncic get the job done, but there's still work to do

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts during the game against the Boston Celtics during game four of the 2024 NBA Finals at American Airlines Center.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The Mavs had to win Game 4. They accomplished that feat, but overcoming an 0-3 deficit was never going to be an easy task. The Mavericks will now head back to Boston trailing 3-1 in the series.

“Our group was ready to go,” Kidd said. “They were ready to celebrate… We made a stand. We were desperate. We got to continue to keep playing that way; understand they're trying to find a way to close the door. The hardest thing in this league is to close the door when you have a group that has nothing to lose.

“Tonight you saw that. They let go of the rope, you know, pretty early.”

The Mavericks believe in their chances despite the odds. A win in Game 5 would make things especially intriguing.

“Like I said at the beginning of the series, it's first to four,” Doncic added. “We going to believe until the end. So we just got to keep going. I have big belief in this team that we can do it, so we just got to keep believing.”