NBA Finals Game 3 GameThread: Celtics vs. Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks are facing an 0-2 deficit in the NBA Finals, but they are at home, nobody outside of Luka Doncic has really excelled as of yet, and the Boston Celtics are navigating the rest of the series with the potential of not having Kristaps Porzingis at all. The series is far from over. A dominant display tonight by Dallas shifts the momentum and puts them one game away from evening the series. To do that, the Mavs need someone other than Doncic to perform to their potential. Most specifically, the series feels like it currently rests on the shoulders of Kyrie Irving. Kyrie has stepped up in big moments before, but it also feels like this series is magnifying all the deficiencies in Irving as a player. He can’t outskill the torrential series of Celtics defenders, and on the other end, he is giving a ton of points away. I don’t care how pretty he can make things when things are going well, if Derrick White and Jrue Holiday continue to have him in handcuffs, it won’t matter. If the Celtics win, this series is donzo.

Game Vitals

When: 8:30 p.m. ET
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Watch: ABC/ESPN
Odds: Celtics +3

Boston Celtics (2-0)

Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford

Dallas Mavericks (0-2)

Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Derrick Jones Jr., PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford