Dallas Mavericks' Kyrie Irving (11) and Luka Doncic, right, celebrate the team's win in Game 3 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, on May 11 in Dallas.Tony Gutierrez/The Associated Press
Their names are alike and Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s games are so intertwined they sometimes feel like one Boston player and not two.
The big bucket makers give the Celtics quite a dynamic duo.
Dallas has developed a special one as well.
With Luka Doncic dealing with an assortment of injuries – “everything” hurt after Saturday’s game, he said – Kyrie Irving made several clutch plays in the second half as the Mavericks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 105-101 to take a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference semi-final series.
“He’s doing everything he can on both sides of the floor, just getting to the basket and passing the ball and defending,” an aching Doncic said after he and Irving scored 22 points apiece. “He’s been great for us.”
Leaning on Tatum and Brown, who combined for 61 points, the Celtics rebounded from a poor performance at home with a 106-93 win in Game 3 over the Cavaliers to also go up 2-1 in a series that has so far mirrored what Boston did against Miami in the first round.
Tatum scored 33 points and Brown added 28 as the Celtics opened the second half with a 14-0 blitz that quieted Cleveland’s thundering crowd and stripped some of the confidence Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs built with a stunning road win in Game 2.
Tatum’s performance – he added 13 rebounds and six assists – should temporarily quiet some of the outside criticism directed at the 26-year-old. Tatum was aware of pointed comments made about everything from his shot selection to leadership.
But with so much at stake, he’s not worrying about whether he’s being respected.
“My job is to be the best player that I can be for our team on any given night,” Tatum said. “Yeah, I would love to make every shot I take. I know I can shoot better, and I will. At this time of the season, as long as we win and we’re trending in the right direction, I know my scoring will come. I’ve done that plenty of times.
“I just try to impact the game in other ways and just dominate. Dominate the game and not just be defined as a scorer.”
Along with his points, the Mavericks are counting on Doncic’s healing powers to be ready for Game 4 on Monday night.
Already slowed by a sprained knee and bad ankle, he has added a sore back to his long list of ailments after taking a hard fall in the final minutes of Game 3.
Doncic undoubtedly will push himself to play, but the Mavericks, who got 27 points from P.J. Washington Jr. in Game 3, are confident they can win without him.
“We’ve been here before, we’re not built on one guy,” coach Jason Kidd said. “We’re built on a team. … It’s not golf where we just have a player and a caddy. This is a group that believes that if somebody is hurting, they are going to pick them up.”
CELTICS AT CAVALIERS
Boston leads, 2-1. Game 4, 7 p.m. EDT
Maybe it’s due to a sense of urgency or desperation, but the Celtics seem more comfortable on the road in the playoffs. A somewhat surprising 14-14 at home over the past three postseasons, they are 17-7 outside of Boston and 3-0 this year. … After a competitive first quarter in Game 3, the Cavs couldn’t keep up with the Celtics, who led for 42 minutes.
THUNDER AT MAVERICKS
Dallas leads, 2-1. Game 4, 9:30 p.m. EDT
Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is doing his part, scoring the way he did while finishing the regular season third in scoring. The Mavs owe at least some of their series lead to Washington in his first postseason. He has scored 56 points in the past two games, providing a first-half boost while Doncic and Irving slowly have worked their way into back-to-back victories.