The Dallas Mavericks stunned the Boston Celtics on Thursday night with a dominant 127-120 victory at TD Garden, though the game never felt as close as the score suggests. The Celtics’ lead was only as small as 29-23 in the first quarter, and Klay Thompson’s scorching 23-point first half helped push the Mavericks ahead. Despite this win, Dallas will still face challenges when they return home on Saturday without Luka Doncic for the first time.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
1. Kyrie Irving’s First Win in Boston Since…
Kyrie Irving’s relationship with Boston is well-known, and his return to the TD Garden has often been filled with drama. This victory marked his first regular season win in Boston since December 2020—if that one even counts due to the limited crowd because of COVID-19. His last full-crowd win there was in April 2017, where he scored 19 points and 5 assists. On Thursday, he scored 19 points and 4 assists, making the moment quite remarkable.
2. Spencer Dinwiddie’s Revival
Spencer Dinwiddie’s importance to the team has grown with Luka Doncic’s departure and the lack of additional ball handlers. With Jaden Hardy out on Thursday, Dinwiddie stepped up and delivered 22 points on 7/10 shooting. While maintaining this level of play regularly may be difficult, a steady 10 points per game seems achievable for him.
3. Limiting Boston’s 3-Point Shooting
A major factor in Boston’s offensive success is their ability to shoot the three, ranking first in both attempts (48.5) and makes (17.8) per game. The Mavericks limited them to only 37 attempts and allowed 16 makes, five of which came in garbage time during the fourth quarter. Boston’s starters shot 10/21, which is still a solid percentage, but keeping their attempts low was crucial for Dallas’s victory.
