This is an archive article published on June 15, 2024

NBA Finals: Luka Doncic rescues Dallas Mavericks from being swept by Boston Celtics

Luka Doncic's first half performance meant that the Mavs were leading by 13 points after the first quarter. They doubled that lead to 26 points by half-time and then raced away to a 38-point gap some time in the third quarter.

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts after a play during the first half in Game 4 of the NBA basketball finals against the Boston Celtics, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo)

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic reacts after a play during the first half in Game 4 of the NBA basketball finals against the Boston Celtics. (AP Photo)

By: Sports Desk

2 min readJun 15, 2024 10:00 AM IST First published on: Jun 15, 2024 at 10:00 AM IST

Luka Doncic, who has been widely criticised squarely for his performances in the first three games of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, managed to scored 29 points in the fourth game of the NBA Finals, thus preventing his team Dallas Mavericks from being swept (losing 0-4).

Inspired by his 25 points in the first half and the team’s other star, Kyrie Irving’s 21 points, the Mavericks extended the NBA season to at least one more game after emerging 122-84 triumphant over the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

Doncic’s first half performance meant that the Mavs were leading by 13 points after the first quarter. They doubled that lead to 26 points by half-time and then raced away to a 38-point gap some time in the third quarter. At some point in the final quarter, the Mavericks held a lead of 48 points. It was the sort of game that made fans wonder what had happened in the first three games to make the NBA Finals appear so lop-sided in favour of the Celtics.