Xavier Tillman showed up big for Boston in Game 3. He was all over Kyrie Irving and made him work for his points, despite his bulky frame and size. He ended the night with two huge blocks to prevent the Mavericks’ lead from ballooning. Moreover, he also hit a huge three-pointer to turn the momentum around prior to the end of the first half. All of this was rounded out by four productive rebounds with one of them giving the Celtics a second chance possession.
Despite his advanced age, Al Horford showed why he is still one of the most versatile big men in the league. The 38-year-old played 37 minutes and excelled on close outs while also being on the drop. His eight points on the night don’t necessarily stand out, but his effort to prevent lobs and force the Mavericks to make hasty kickouts helped the Celtics a great deal on Wednesday night.
Al Horford’s defensive effort netted the Celtics two big steals and a block. He also pulled in five rebounds while his playmaking in the post notched a pair of assists.
Boston led 91-70 at the end of a 20-5 run early in the fourth quarter before Dallas answered with a 22-2 spurt to get within a point with 3 1/2 minutes remaining.
As good as Boston’s role players were, Tatum and Brown took over from there, with some help from Derrick White, who had 16 points on the night. Those three combined for the final 13 Celtics points to get the franchise within a win of their first NBA title since 2008, and just the second since 1986.
Jayson Tatum scored 31 points, and Jaylen Brown had 30 as the Celtics held off a furious Dallas rally to come within one win of a record 18th championship with a 106-99 victory over the Mavericks on Wednesday night for a 3-0 lead.
