Mavs blowout Celtics in Game 4 to avoid Finals sweep

Luka Doncic scored 25 of his 29 points in the first half, Kyrie Irving added 21, and the Dallas Mavericks avoided a sweep by defeating the Boston Celtics 122-84 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday.

The series returns to Boston for Game 5 on Monday, with the Celtics hoping to seal the deal at home. Dallas, on the other hand, showed life by extending the series after Boston had been the dominant team, winning the first three games of the best-of-seven.

The script flipped in Game 4. Doncic and the Mavericks got off to a quick start and never looked back. Doncic began a 10-0 run in the first quarter with a floater and finished it with a driving layup, giving Dallas a 25-14 lead with 3:19 left. That early run foreshadowed future events.

Dallas led 34-21 at the end of the first quarter, with Irving and P.J. Washington scoring the final six points on threes.

The Mavericks kept pouring it on. They doubled up the Celtics 50-25 after Irving's layup at 5:16 in the second quarter. Maxi Kleber closed the half with a corner 3-pointer off an assist from Doncic. Dallas led 61-35 at halftime.

During the first half, the Mavericks shot 52.3 percent from the field, while the Celtics shot 29.7 percent. Dallas also won the rebounding battle 29-13 in the first 24 minutes.

Dallas turned it into a rout in the second half, leading by as many as 48 points, taking a 115-67 lead on a 3-pointer by Jaden Hardy with 5:58 remaining.

Several minutes earlier, Tim Hardaway Jr. hit a 3-pointer to bring the Mavericks to 100 points. Dallas failed to reach 100 points in any of its first three games against Boston.

Hardaway finished with 15 points, making 5-of-7 3-pointers.

For Boston, it was a disappointment for a team that still leads the Finals. NBA teams have a 156-0 record when leading 3-0 in a best-of-seven series.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 15 points. Sam Hauser scored 14 points, while Payton Pritchard had 11.

SportsLigue