As the clock ticked just below four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Jayson Tatum found a wide-open Al Horford on the wing for a three. Horford’s 28-footer found nothing but net, prompting Jason Kidd to call a timeout and empty his bench.
On his way to the bench, Horford spread his arms in celebration before dapping up head coach Joe Mazzulla. They knew that was the icing on the cake as the Celtics clinched their 10th consecutive victory, marking the first time this NBA season that a team has achieved a double-digit win streak. For Boston, it’s the first time since November 2019.
The triple was the loudest bucket of a 57-31 Boston run to pull away with the win.
While the Celtics only trailed for 37 seconds in Friday night’s 138-110 win over the Mavericks, that run pushed Boston to the finish line.
Led by Luka Doncic, who finished the night with a 37-point, 12-rebound, and 11-assist triple-double, Dallas held things within striking distance for most of the night. Midway through the third quarter, Dallas cut what was a 14-point lead to just two points.
As he so often does, Mazzulla let his team play through the run. They rewarded him for it with a 14-3 run of their own, which pushed the lead back to double-digits. That run quickly ballooned to 57-31 to close the game, putting the Mavericks away.
“I thought that stretch that we really kind of blew the game open started with our defense,” Mazzulla said postgame. “We kept them off the free throw line. We limited them to one shot, and even when we missed, we took good shots, which allowed us to get back in transition and get stops. Keeping the relationship between our offense and our defense is extremely important.”
Over a nearly 18-minute stretch, the Celtics held the visitors to 12-of-31 (38.7%) shooting from the field and 0-of-8 from deep. For context, Boston’s starters alone shot 11-of-19 (57.8%) over that stretch despite sitting the final 3:55 of the final frame.
That was a championship-caliber response by the Celtics, and much like the game itself, it was a combined effort from up and down Boston’s roster.
Boston’s starters totaled 105 points, with each member of the starting five reaching double figures for the 24th time this season. The starting unit of Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White nearly doubled Dallas’s three-point total as a team, sinking 17 triples to Dallas’s nine.
Tatum led the charge for the Celtics with 32 points despite scoring just two points in the opening 15 minutes of the game. Sixteen of Tatum’s 32 points came in the third quarter.
“We’ve got a really, really good team,” Tatum said postgame. “Every possession, there are two or three of us that feel like and realize that we have the advantage.”
Entering the night, Boston’s starting five had recorded an offensive rating of 141.1, a defensive rating of 100.9, and a net rating of +40.2 since the All-Star break — remarkable numbers that will only improve after another blowout win.
Here are three takeaways as Mazzulla remains undefeated against the Mavericks, and the Celtics improve to 47-12, marking their second-best record through their first 59 games in franchise history.
Xavier Tillman sees rotation minutes
For the first time as a member of the Celtics, Xavier Tillman saw meaningful minutes.
The 25-year-old, whom Boston acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies at the trade deadline, took over the rotation minutes that typically go to Luke Kornet, though he didn’t necessarily see it coming.
“I had no clue,” Tillman admitted with a smile postgame when asked if he knew he would see extended run. “I felt like the minutes went well.”
Although his stats might not jump off the page — scoring six points on 3-of-3 shooting, grabbing a rebound, dishing out an assist, and blocking a shot —Tillman brought energy and provided solid minutes. He especially impressed on defense, holding his own in his one-on-one matchups with Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
“X looked good out there,” Brown said postgame. “He fit right in. He came right in and made contributions on defense. Got a few rebounds, got some stops. Offensively, you could tell he got a good feel for the game. He got big hands, so I was able to find him a few times on the baseline and hit him in some of those seam passes and just reading the defense and how they were guarding. X looked real good tonight.”
If the Celtics view Tillman – who has 340 career postseason minutes and has previously guarded formidable opponents such as Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns in playoff matchups – as a postseason contributor, then he will need to see more game action to get acclimated. Friday night was the first step in that direction.
“He’s a guy that can help our switchability and still have size,” Mazzulla said on Tillman postgame. “That’s one of the things that I’m grateful for with this team. They keep an open mind and they have an understanding that we do what’s best for the team and what impacts winning. We felt like that was the right thing to go to tonight to continue to switch them, and it’s a credit to him and a credit to the rest of the guys for understanding that’s what’s most important.”
Overall, the newcomer provided solid minutes and seems like someone who could eventually earn a spot in the regular rotation.
The Jays lead the way
Tatum and Brown are playing their best basketball of the season. If it feels like people have been saying that all year, it’s because they keep on getting better.
“You’ve gotta give them credit. To see them grow, I’m nothing but proud,” Irving said postgame. “They’ve been showing for the past few years that they are a force to be reckoned with… You can see that they’re remaining focused, and that’s a true testament to a team that wants to win a championship.”
Tatum (32 points) and Brown (25 points) combined for 57 points on 21-of-39 (53.8%) shooting, 15 boards, and eight assists.
The Jays look different this year. It may not show on the stat sheet, but they are playing at the highest levels of their careers, making those who wanted to break them up over the summer look foolish.
“JT has just been growing, and it’s great to see,” Brown said postgame. “We’ve been playing together for seven-plus years now, and it’s just been an honor. Moving forward into the postseason, this should be a great year. I’m excited for us. I’m excited for this journey.”
What the Celtics have in Tatum and Brown is special. While they are still chasing that championship ring, there is something to be said about reaching four Eastern Conference Finals in six seasons together.
The exercise has been done before. LeBron James won his first title at 27, Stephen Curry at 26, Kevin Durant at 28, and Michael Jordan also at 28. Brown turned 27 in October, and Tatum turns 26 on Sunday. They are both right on target and haven’t even hit their primes.
No love lost for Kyrie Irving
As Irving stepped onto the court for pregame warm-ups, the TD Garden crowd erupted in a chorus of boos, a familiar reception for the ex-Celtic. Unfazed, Irving responded with a simple gesture, forming a heart with his hands before diving into his routine.
The boos subsided briefly but intensified again during player introductions when Irving’s name was called.
From that moment onward, every time Irving touched the ball, the sound of boos echoed throughout the arena. A few separate times, chants of “Kyrie sucks” rained down from the rafters.
Five and a half years later, Irving is still persona non grata.
“They have a right to boo,” Irving said postgame. “And, you know, for my career record against them for the last few games, I haven’t won, so until I beat them, they have all the right to continue to boo. I think that’s what makes the theatrics of sports and competitive sports fun, and just got to embrace it. It’s a part of it.”
Irving’s ugly exit from Boston is well-documented. He didn’t do himself any favors when he stomped on Lucky at midcourt following Brooklyn’s win over the Celtics in Game 4 of the first round of the playoffs.
Since his infamous stomp on Lucky, Irving is yet to win a game in Boston, dropping to 0-5. Additionally, he has lost each of his last 10 games against the Celtics.
“To be honest, I ain’t got no thoughts on it,” Brown said postgame when asked about the boos for Irving. “The fans, they do what they do, and they’ve got whatever reason for that. I think they should probably boo every player, every star player that comes into our arena. I’d like to see that. Maybe it has an effect, maybe it doesn’t, but when Jokic and all these other players come in, boo them too.”
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