The Dallas Mavericks will try to keep their season alive when they face the Boston Celtics on Friday in Game 4 of the NBA Finals at 7:30 p.m. at American Airlines Center.
One more loss will eliminate the team from the playoffs.
Dallas has been led in the postseason by guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, who have a combined average of 51.5 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 13.3 assists through the first 20 games of this playoff run.
The Mavericks are coming off a close 106-99 loss in Game 3. The team was down by 21 points in the fourth quarter before fighting back to within three points with minutes remaining, but clutch shots made by the Celtics helped secure the victory.
The team will now look to complete the first-ever 0-3 series comeback in NBA history, a feat no other playoff team has accomplished.
While discussing the potential for mounting this comeback, Mavericks rookie center Dereck Lively II said the team would take the process one game at a time and not get too ahead of itself.
“It’s only going to come down to us putting all we can on the floor, trying to come out and win little battles because that’s what’s going to get us the game. Winning the rebounding game, the transition game and then just trying to stop them from what they’re trying to do,” Lively explained, per NBA.
The Mavericks, who finished this year’s regular season with a home record of 25-16, will face a Boston team that has performed impressively on the road all season, finishing the year with a regular season record of 27-14 when playing in another arena.
Dallas has also struggled to defend home court during these playoffs, with a record of just 5-4, while the Celtics have yet to lose in any of their seven playoff games on the road.
Dallas enters Game 4 with just Doncic listed on the injury report due to a thoracic contusion sustained in the first game of this series. He is listed as probable to play.
Boston’s major injury concern is center Kristaps Porzingis, who is listed as questionable due to a leg injury sustained in Game 2.
Porzingis had a major impact in the first two games of the series but was forced to sit out of Game 3 with what Celtics Head Coach Joe Mazzulla described as a “serious injury,” as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
A win in Game 4 would help the Mavericks avoid elimination. If necessary, the team would then travel back to Boston for Game 5, which is currently scheduled for June 17 at 7:30 p.m.
