The Mavericks could have rolled over, taken a flight to a nice resort and begun their summer vacation a few days early, but they didn't.
Just about every Dallas player got involved in some capacity as the Mavericks pummeled the Celtics 122-84 in Game 4 of the 2024 NBA Finals.
Luka Doncic faced a lot of criticism for his defense in previous games, but he was solid on that end in Game 4. He paired that with another offensive masterclass — 29 points on 12-of-26 shooting in 33 minutes.
Kyrie Irving tallied 21 points on 10-of-18 shooting in 31 minutes, making quick work of Boston. The game entered "garbage time" with one minute remaining in the third quarter as both teams emptied their benches.
Tim Hardaway Jr. starred in his 12 minutes with five 3-pointers, proving he's one of the best heat-check players. Dereck Lively had 11 points and 12 rebounds and knocked down his first career 3-pointer.
Nothing was falling for the Celtics as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 25 points on 7-of-22 shooting. Kristaps Porzingis was available but did not play.
The Larry O'Brien trophy will travel from Dallas to Boston as the Celtics have another chance to close out the series, this time in front of their home crowd on Monday, June 17.
The Sporting News has you covered with updates, highlights and more from all the action in Game 4.
MORE: How Tatum and Brown targeted Doncic and Irving over and over in Game 3
Celtics vs. Mavericks final score
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final | |
| Celtics | 21 | 14 | 25 | 24 | 84 |
| Mavericks | 34 | 27 | 31 | 30 | 122 |
Celtics vs. Mavericks live updates, highlights from Game 4 in 2024 NBA Finals
Final: Mavericks 122, Celtics 84
10:46 p.m.: Five for Hardaway!
10:45 p.m.: That's four 3s for Hardaway. He can't miss in garbage time.
10:40 p.m.: Hardaway is feeling himself with three 3-pointers after not playing much in the first three games.
End of third quarter: Mavericks 92, Celtics 60
10:31 p.m.: Kidd pulls the Mavericks starters with about a minute left in the third. There's a lot of time left for this to be considered "garbage time."
10:28 p.m.: Mazzulla pulled the Celtics starters following the timeout. Seems all but over at this point.
10:27 p.m.: The lead keeps growing. Mavericks have their largest lead at 88-52 with 3:18 to play in the third.
10:21 p.m.: Mavericks offense looks great and isn't letting up. Dallas leads 80-47 with 5:29 to play in the third quarter.
10:11 p.m.: Mavericks are making this ugly — lead is up to 33 points at 75-42 with 8:38 to play in the third quarter.
10:07 p.m.: What a stretch by Gafford. That's two free throws, an alley-oop and a blocked 3-pointer, which led to Tatum picking up his fourth foul.
10:05 p.m.: Horford, Tatum and Brown all have three fouls. Mavericks lead 65-38 with 10:52 to play in the third.
Halftime: Mavericks 61, Celtics 35
9:46 p.m.: Celtics finish the half with the fewest points in any half under Joe Mazzulla. Mavericks lead 61-35 and have a 29-13 rebound advantage.
9:43 p.m.: Mavericks lead 28-13 in the rebounding battle with 1:27 remaining in the half.
9:40 p.m.: Brown fouls Green on the 3-point line — three free throws coming out and three fouls for Brown. Green makes just one of three.
9:35 p.m.: Doncic heads to the bench with four minutes left in the second quarter. He's got 23 points. Celtics have 28 points. Mavericks lead 52-28.
LUKA GOING OFF IN GAME 4 🔥
— NBA (@NBA) June 15, 2024
23 points with 5 minutes remaining in the 2nd quarter on ABC... pic.twitter.com/sM42ogBIof
9:31 p.m.: Tatum, Brown and Horford each have two fouls so far. Washington has three fouls.
9:27 p.m.: Doncic and Irving are outscoring the Celtics 27-25. Mavericks lead 45-25 with 6:35 left in the half.
9:24 p.m.: Staying on the topic of defense, Doncic has been a completely different player on that end. It seems he heard the critics.
9:22 p.m.: Tillman has played great defense on Doncic the past two possessions, staying in front and sliding his feet.
9:18 p.m.: Officials take away Exum's 3 after review. His heel was out of bounds. Score is 36-21, largest Mavericks lead of the series is still at 15.
9:14 p.m.: Dante Exum with five points to start the second quarter. Mavericks lead 39-21. They had their largest lead of the series at 15 points and are adding to that with each point.
End of first quarter: Mavericks 34, Celtics 21
9:06 p.m.: Irving and Washington nail back-to-back 3-pointers to answer White's deep 3. Mavericks lead 34-21.
9:05 p.m.: Oh my, what a shot by White. Off the jump ball, he buries a deep 3 with the shot clock expiring.
DERRICK WHITE! 🚨 #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/2oMZ7T6L6h
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) June 15, 2024
9:02 p.m.: Tatum has been aggressive thus far, driving to the rim and finishing well. He's up to 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
9:01 p.m.: Horford picks up his second foul in the first quarter. It's notable considering Porzingis' limited minutes tonight.
8:59 p.m.: Mavericks are on a 10-0 run over the past two minutes and change. Dallas leads 25-14 with three minutes to play in the first quarter.
8:53 p.m.: Oh wow, Derrick Jones Jr. just channeled his inner Irving with that layup in traffic. Mavericks lead 19-14.
How did Derrick Jones Jr. make this?! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/7suhe6UbH7
— Abby Jones (@_abigaiiiil) June 15, 2024
8:51 p.m.: Lively with a great two-possession stretch for the Mavs. He knocks down a corner 3 and then catches a lob.
Dereck Lively II giving Dallas a big boost early!
— NBA (@NBA) June 15, 2024
First the triple, then the oop slam 😤
Mavs lead 21-14 | Game 4 on ABC pic.twitter.com/1tSANC0WTZ
8:46 p.m.: Brown and Tatum have all nine points for the Celtics, while Irving and Doncic have all 10 for the Mavericks.
8:44 p.m.: Mavericks are attacking the rim much better than in Games 1 and 2. When Porzingis is off the floor, Dallas can play inside much easier.
8:41 p.m.: Tatum knocks down an early 3-pointer to give the Celtics a 5-4 lead.
8:40 p.m.: Irving lays it in for the first bucket of the game.
8:38 p.m.: Starting five for both sides:
Celtics
- Jrue Holiday
- Derrick White
- Jaylen Brown
- Jayson Tatum
- Al Horford
Mavericks
- Luka Doncic
- Kyrie Irving
- Derrick Jones Jr.
- P.J. Washington Jr.
- Daniel Gafford
8:18 p.m.: Under 20 minutes until tip-off. The Celtics can sweep the Mavericks and win the NBA championship tonight. No team has overcome a 3-0 deficit in NBA playoff history.
Celtics vs. Mavericks start time
- Date: Friday, June 14
- Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Celtics vs. Mavericks will tip off around 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday, June 14. The game will be played at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
How to watch Celtics vs. Mavericks
- TV channel: ABC (U.S.) | TSN 1/3/4/5 (Canada)
- Live stream: Sling
Celtics vs. Mavericks will air on ABC in the United States and TSN in Canada. U.S. viewers can also stream the game on Sling.
Sling is the home for sports fans, offering various channels. You can always cheer for your favorite teams on channels like ESPN, TBS, TNT, NFL Network, FS1, and more.
Celtics vs. Mavericks odds for Game 4
Here are the latest Mavericks-Celtics odds for Game 4, courtesy of BetMGM, an authorized gaming operator of the NBA.
The Mavericks are favored by 1.5 and are -115 against the moneyline. A -115 moneyline means a $115 bet would pay out $100.
| Celtics lead 2-0 | Celtics | Mavericks |
| Spread | +1.5 (-120) | -1.5 (+100) |
| Moneyline | -105 | -115 |
| O/U total | O 211.5 (-110) | U 211.5 (-110) |
Check out BetMGM to see the latest NBA Finals odds including updated odds to win the series,
NBA Finals schedule 2024
Games 1, 2, 5, and 7 are scheduled to be played at TD Garden in Boston. The series will shift to the American Airlines Center in Dallas for Games 3, 4, and 6.
(1) Celtics vs. (5) Mavericks — Bostons leads series 3-0
| Date | Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
| June 6 | Celtics 107, Mavericks 89 | — | — |
| June 9 | Celtics 105, Mavericks 98 | — | — |
| June 12 | Celtics 106, Mavericks 99 | — | — |
| June 14 | Mavericks 122, Celtics 84 | — | — |
| June 17 | Game 5 | 8:30 p.m. | ABC, Sling |
| June 20 | Game 6* | 8:30 p.m. | ABC, Sling |
| June 23 | Game 7* | 8 p.m. | ABC, Sling |
*If necessary
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