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After securing a tight win over the San Antonio Spurs, the Dallas Mavericks encountered another challenging matchup against the Boston Celtics on Saturday night. It led to a tightly-contested game and a last-gasp buzzer-beating three-pointer hoisted by Luka Doncic eventually gave the Mavericks a 107-104 win over the visiting team.
There is no doubt that Jason Kidd's squad can do better than how they performed against the Celtics but they are definitely happy to run away with a much-needed W. With a two-game winning streak, Dallas is currently sitting at the third spot of the Western Conference with a 6-3 record.
After a thrilling matchup, the Mavericks will have a chance to grab their third straight victory when they host the struggling New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night. With that, here are three takeaways from the Mavs' most recent victory over the Celtics:
3. The Mavericks have to do a better job of protecting their leads moving forward.
In their previous games, it was evident how the team often follows the flow and rhythm being dictated by their opponents on the floor. However, the trend finally changed against the Celtics as Luka Doncic and company easily produced 57 points in the first half against a struggling defensive effort put up by their opponents.
Despite gaining control for the most part of the game, the Mavericks still had a ton of errors on the defensive end as the Celtics crawled from a 19-point deficit to get back in the swing of things. Though Doncic's magical shot bailed them out in the end, the team wouldn't find themselves in a pressure situation if they were able to prevent the comeback bid of their opponents early on.
Indeed, the Mavericks' ability to protect their leads will certainly be crucial in their bid to win more games for the remainder of the season.
2. Kristaps Porzingis hasn't completely faded just yet.
In recent memory, Kristaps Porzingis has been receiving criticism for his on-court struggles and how he merely plays like a shell of his former self today. In four games played, the Latvian big man is currently averaging 14.8 points on 35.7% shooting from the field to go with 6.3 rebounds for the Mavericks.
However, Dallas fans saw a resurgent Porzingis as he produced 21 points, seven rebounds, and a couple of assists in 28 minutes of action against the Celtics. Certainly enough, the Unicorn still has a lot of things to work on, especially with off-the-ball movements on the court. However, his rebounding prowess and shot-making abilities in the paint remain to be crucial factors that will surely be of help for the team moving forward.
It might not have been a perfect outing from Porzingis but his performance against the Celtics reminded everyone that he is still a significant presence on the floor and can provide a valuable impact on his team moving forward.
1. Luka Doncic continues to be effective in late-game situations.
After seeing how the Mavericks easily had their way in the first half of the game, the Celtics went on to exert more effort in denying Luka Doncic and preventing him from getting touches in the second half. As the game went down the wire, it was expected that Jason Kidd will still give the ball to his best playmaker despite having defenders all over him.
The Slovenian star was able to deliver as he shot a buzzer-beating three-pointer to lift the Mavericks over the Celtics in the final seconds of the game. His heroic shot on Saturday night marked the third game-winning buzzer-beater of his young career which tied Dirk Nowitzki's career total and shared the lead for most in team history, per ESPN.
Doncic ended the game with 33 points on 5/10 from beyond the arc to go with nine rebounds and five assists against the Celtics. More than his fine performance, the team was also able to extend its winning streak and improve to a 6-3 record.
It will surely be a tough campaign for the Mavericks as they try to sustain their momentum and gut it out in a stacked Western Conference. However, having a reliable talent like Luka Doncic will always keep the team's winning hopes alive, especially in the clutch.
