The Celtics got bad news before Game 3, as Kristaps Porzingis was forced to sit out due to his rare leg injury. They missed his rim protection, but they got enough from everyone else to take Game 3 by a score of 106-99.
Boston now has a commanding 3-0 lead in the Finals. A few teams have rallied to force a Game 7 after losing the first three games of a series, but nobody has ever won one.
Here's what happened for the Celtics to get a step away from the championship trophy.
MORE: Game 3 results, highlights from 2024 NBA Finals
Seven biggest takeaways from Game 3 of 2024 NBA Finals
Luka Doncic's defense was an issue
Doncic has been receiving injections to deal with pain in his chest, which may explain why he's had so much difficulty moving defensively. He was targeted repeatedly in Game 2, giving up blow-bys that led to great Celtics shots.
The Celtics came in with a similar game plan in Game 3. Doncic did have moments early on where he was defending well, but his defense grew steadily worse as the game wore on. By the second half, he looked like a statue.
Luka 🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/5p16dplqgW
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) June 13, 2024
Making matters even worse, Doncic picked up fouls while out of position. That led to the worst-case scenario — he fouled out for the first time in his postseason career with the Mavs trailing 93-90 and a little over four minutes remaining.
The Mavericks challenged the bang-bang play, but Doncic's blocking call was upheld. The game was a wrap from there.
Kyrie Irving finally showed up
Irving disappeared in the first two games but led the Mavs with 35 points in Game 3. He shot just 5-of-14 in the second half, though, where Dallas fell apart.
The Mavericks have gotten to this point thanks to tough shot-making from Irving and Doncic. Both tried to set up mismatches throughout the night, and both were successful at times in one-on-one situations.
Ultimately, Irving didn't have quite enough of them in his bag. He couldn't sink a pull-up 3 with 25 seconds left that would have cut it to one point, and that was as close as Dallas got.
Jason Kidd was searching for answers
The Mavericks haven't gotten enough out of their role players. Kidd was trying to press any button he could, playing 11 guys in the first half.
Tim Hardaway Jr. got his longest look of the Finals, but he was completely ineffective. He missed all five of his shots and went scoreless in his 19 minutes. Josh Green did have some nice hustle plays but scored only three points in his 22 minutes. Maxi Kleber continued to be invisible, getting yelled at by Doncic for not taking a 3 and having another one blocked shortly thereafter.
The one bright spot for Dallas was Derek Lively II, who finally was able to get some easy baskets and score 11 points to go along with 13 rebounds. He's been better than Daniel Gafford throughout the playoffs and Kidd may be forced into starting Lively in Game 4.
The Celtics missed Kristaps Porzingis
Dallas had a field day at the rim, scoring 52 points in the paint to Boston's 36. The Mavericks' drives forced Joe Mazzulla to call a timeout just two minutes into the game with his team down 9-2.
Al Horford did play well in Porzingis' place. He played solid one-on-one defense and hit some early shots to keep Boston in the game.
Xavier Tillman earned the backup center minutes and was up-and-down during his stints. He scored only three points and had a costly offensive foul, but he also had a big block on Doncic and forced Irving into an air-balled layup on another switch.
Derrick White provided the best rim protection on the team. His two blocks were highlight-worthy, stuffing Hardaway Jr. on a breakaway layup and stripping Irving at the end of the third quarter.
Jayson Tatum had a Jayson Tatum game
Tatum had his best scoring output of the Finals, dropping 31 points. He also shot just 11-of-26 and took some horrendous pull-up 3-pointers. His poor play down the stretch let Dallas back into the game.
Tatum was constantly targeted by Doncic in one-on-one settings. He wasn't playing poor defense, but Doncic was hitting tough shots over him and looked comfortable.
Tatum did a lot of positive things, including continuing to drive the ball and set up teammates. And his dunk with a little over two minutes remaining was one of the biggest plays in the game. It would have been a terrific game for him if he could simply cut out some of those bad 3s.
Jaylen Brown had a Jaylen Brown game
Brown has been a reliable scorer and defender throughout these Finals. He continued to play solid defense as Doncic's primary defender, and he had 30 points on 12-of-22 shooting.
As pointed out by Justin Russo, Tatum and Brown became the second duo to each record at least 30 points, five rebounds and five assists in a Finals road win. The other was Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Not bad company.
Sam Hauser was the role player of the night
Hauser came in ready to shoot. He hit three of his four 3s, chipping in nine points. More impressive was his play on the defensive end of the floor, where he was everywhere.
Sam Hauser guarding all five Mavs
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) June 13, 2024
-Starts on Josh Green
-Switches onto THJ, Kyrie, Gafford
-Contests Kleber's shot pic.twitter.com/Hx2nl6YU3D
Hauser doesn't have the reputation of an above-average defender. That should change given his performance during these Finals. Doncic and Irving have tried to isolate and attack him. They've scored here and there, but Hauser played them about as well as anyone.
Really nice sequence from Sam Hauser, switching onto Kyrie and denying the ball, then switching onto Luka and playing solid defense.
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) June 13, 2024
Jaylen Brown finishes it off with a great defensive play on Kleber. pic.twitter.com/OrXe6qoa6C
The Celtics' stars have been as good as the Mavericks', but the difference in this series has been in the role players. Boston's have far outclassed Dallas' and that is why the series stands at 3-0.
