RBS #73 Doncic scores 29 in a win against the Celtics 122-84 to avoid a sweep in the NBA Finals…

RBS #73
Doncic scores 29, Mavericks roll past the Celtics 122-84 to avoid a sweep in the NBA Finals…

DALLAS (AP) — There were two options for the Dallas Mavericks. Pack for Boston, or pack for vacation.

Boston awaits.

These NBA Finals are not over, thanks to one of the biggest blowouts in title-round history. Luka Doncic scored 25 of his 29 points in the first half, Kyrie Irving added 21 and the Mavericks emphatically extended their season on Friday night, fending off elimination with a 122-84 rout of the Celtics in Game 4.

The 38-point final margin was the third-biggest ever in an NBA Finals game, behind only Chicago beating Utah 96-54 in 1998 and the Celtics beating the Los Angeles Lakers 131-92 in 2008.

“It’s real simple. We don’t have to complicate this. This isn’t surgery,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “Our group was ready to go. They were ready to celebrate and we made a stand. We were desperate. We’ve got to continue to keep playing that way. They’re trying to close the door. The hardest thing in this league is to close the door when you have a group that has nothing to lose. Tonight, you saw that.”

The Mavs’ stars were done by the end of the third quarter, with good reason. It was all Dallas from the outset, the Mavs leading by 13 after one quarter, 26 at the half and by as many as 38 in the third before both sides emptied the benches.