Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown Hyped by NBA Fans as Celtics Take 3-0 Finals Lead vs. Mavs

The Boston Celtics were without Kristaps Porziņģis on Wednesday night, on the road in Dallas. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown weren’t shook.

The duo combined for 61 points, leading the Celtics to a 106-99 win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, leaving Boston just one win away from its first championship since the 2008-08 season.

It looked as though the Celtics were going to cruise to a third straight victory in the series, as they held a 21-point lead early in the fourth quarter. Dallas surged back, however, though their comeback attempt was partially stymied by Luka Dončić (27 points, six rebounds, six assists) fouling out with a little over four minutes remaining.

It was also stymied by Tatum (31 points, six boards, five assists) and Brown (30 points, eight rebounds, eight assists), as the star duo wouldn’t let Boston completely blow its big lead. That had fans and pundits on social media singing their praises:

The duo also spoiled a big night for Kyrie Irving, who finished with 35 points.

The Boston pair each picked a half, with Tatum dominating in the opening two quarters (20 points) and Brown operating as the closer (24 second-half points). Brown was also incredibly efficient, finishing 12-of-22 from the field, though he was just 2-of-9 from three.

It feels as though Brown is heading toward an NBA Finals MVP after winning the award in the Eastern Conference Finals. Certainly, it’s hard to imagine the Mavericks becoming the first team in NBA history to overcome a 3-0 series deficit.

Anything can happen. But if the Celtics can beat Dallas on the road, without Porziņģis, it feels pretty unlikely that they’ll lose four times in a row. Banner No. 18 appears headed to Boston.