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 Despite a surge by the Boston Celtics after halftime, the
Mavericks held on for a 118-113 victory Monday night at American
Airlines Center.
Dallas' starting forwards combined for 56 points on 23-of-29
shooting in the team's third consecutive win. The Celtics (1-2) lost
twice in a two-game Texas road trip, and they have dropped nine of
their last 11 against the Mavericks.
Dallas (3-1) was a study in ball movement and open shots while
building leads of 21 points in the first quarter and 31 in the
second. The Mavericks drilled 14 of 25 3-pointers on the night, with
Nowitzki leading the way at 4-for-4.
Down the stretch, however, the Mavericks were dangerously close to
blowing it. Dallas led at halftime in each of its four games and was
outscored in the third quarter in all four.
"We've just got to do better," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "I'll
take to continue getting the leads, that'll be great. If we can keep
doing that, we'll deal with the other stuff. We'll get it solved."
Parsons led the Mavericks with 29 points, and Nowitzki added 27.
Dallas center Tyson Chandler had 10 points, 12 rebounds and four
blocks. Shooting guard Monta Ellis added 14 points and six assists,
and reserve guard Devin Harris scored 12 points.
 Boston lost its 22nd consecutive road game against a Western
Conference team, which is the longest active streak in the league.
The drought includes five in a row in Dallas.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens saw a change in his team to start the
third quarter.
"Wasn't as much execution as aggressiveness and assertiveness," he
said. "Again, it's not hard to play when you're down 26. There's no
pressure. It's very hard to play when you're up 26 and go into
halftime and figure out what to say to keep the team motivated.
"So, to make a little bit of a run is not unusual. To make it all
the way where you have a chance to tie it on the last shot may be a
little bit unusual, but our guys did make some plays in the second
half."
Celtics forward Jeff Green racked up 35 points to lead all scorers,
while guard Avery Bradley had a career-high 32 points. Point guard
Rajon Rondo dished out 15 assists, grabbed nine boards and scored
seven points.
The Celtics shaved 18 points off their 26-point halftime deficit in
the third quarter behind Green. A reverse layup by center Tyler
Zeller pulled Boston within 77-69.
The Mavericks responded with a 7-0 run built by Harris and reserve
forward Brandan Wright. Dallas had a 91-79 edge going into the final
period.
The lead shrunk to 107-104 on Boston guard Marcus Smart's 3-pointer
with 3 1/2 minutes left. Nowitzki came back with a jumper, and
Parsons followed with a 3-pointer and layup for a 114-104 advantage
before a Boston timeout.
The Celtics didn't go away. Bradley's breakaway layup capped a 7-0
spurt to make it 114-111 with 1:11 remaining. After a Dallas
timeout, Bradley had a chance to tie the game after being fouled by
Ellis on a 3-point try. Bradley made two of three free throws with
39.5 seconds.
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Ellis drove for a layup at the other end and, after a defensive
stop, made two free throws to close out the win.
"We're having such great first quarters and first halves, I think
it's kind of natural to have a little bit of a letdown or take a
breath," Chandler said. "It's something that we'll get fixed. We'll
get it together."
The Mavericks didn't waste any time delivering a near knockout punch
in another strong first quarter. Dallas is averaging 33 points in
the opening period this season after outscoring Boston 40-19.
Parsons had 14 points in the first on 5-for-5 shooting, including
2-of-2 from 3-point territory. The Mavs missed just one of six shots
from deep through 12 minutes.
Green scored the first seven points for the Celtics, knocking down
the team's first 3-point attempt. Boston missed its first 21
3-pointers Saturday at Houston.
The Mavericks didn't let up in the second quarter and took a 67-41
lead into halftime. Dallas has scored at least 65 points in the
first half in three games in a row for the first time in franchise
history.
Nowitzki had a team-high 16 points at the break. Green had 18
points.
"Once you get punched in the mouth, you tend to wake up a little bit
and start to play a little harder," Green said. "The last two games
have been that. Houston and Dallas both came out and punched us in
the mouth, and you know we woke up in the second half. We have to be
the aggressor. We can't allow teams to jump on us like that."
NOTES: Dallas F Al-Farouq Aminu hurt his left knee in the first half
and didn't return. The injury isn't believed to be serious. ... ...
Boston rookie G Marcus Smart visited the home he bought for his
mother in nearby Flower Mound, Texas. "I promised my mom when I was
a little boy, if I ever made it to the NBA, that's the first thing
I'd do for her," Smart said. "Right now, I'm blessed to be able to
do that for her."
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