Los Angeles: The Boston Celtics, fueled by the star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, held off a furious Dallas rally to beat the Mavericks 106-99 on Wednesday and take a 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals.
Tatum scored 31 points. Brown went 15 of 30 in the third quarter and the Celtics won for a record 18th NBA crown.
Boston, which currently shares the record with the Los Angeles Lakers at 17, can close out the series in Game 4 on Friday in Dallas.
The Mavericks know very well that no team has rallied from 3-0 down to win an NBA playoff series.
With their backs against the wall, the Mavericks cut a 21-point fourth quarter deficit to two points with 1:20 to play when Kyrie Irving found Derrick Lively for a layup that pulled the Mavericks within 100-98.
Until then, Mavs star Luka Doncic can only watch in frustration. He picked up his sixth foul in a minute with 4:12 remaining.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd challenged both and lost, and Doncic went down three times with the Mavs after being booed for interrupting Jrue’s celebration.
Dallas kept the pressure on, but it wasn’t enough. Brown hit a jumper to push the lead to four, and after Irving’s three-pointer, White and Tatum each hit a pair of free throws and the Celtics pulled away.
“It was a big win for us and I’m proud of how we played today,” Brown said. We prepare baskets on time.
“We shot well and found a way to win.”
Irving led the Mavericks with 35 points in the first two games. Doncic finished with 27 points, six rebounds and six assists before fouling out for the third time in his career.
Celtics beat Mavericks 106-99 to take 3-0 lead in NBA Finals
