BOSTON – Somehow, the Mavericks saved their best for last on the season’s longest trip.
And their best was a thing of beauty.
On the same court where they suffered heartbreak nine months ago in the NBA Finals, the Mavericks took out some aggression and spanked the Boston Celtics 127-120 Thursday night at TD Garden.
And the outcome wasn’t the only thing that changed drastically for the Mavericks since the last time they were in Boston on June 17 when the Celtics finished them off in Game 5 of the Finals.
Anthony Davis, the new Maverick centerpiece with Kyrie Irving, did not play. But the good news is that coach Jason Kidd said the plan is hopefully for Davis to make his Mavericks’ debut on Saturday afternoon against Houston at American Airlines Center. Davis has been working through an abdominal issue since the trade went down last weekend.
“Yeah, I thought the last couple days have been really positive,” Kidd said of the workouts Davis has been having. “So he’s trending in the right direction. So we hope that tomorrow (Friday) is a good day and he’ll be able to go Saturday afternoon.”
If the Mavericks can keep up their play of Thursday when Davis joins them, they might give fans something new to talk about.
Klay Thompson had a torrid first half and the Mavericks rolled up a 27-point lead early in the fourth quarter before a cosmetic rally by the Celtics made the score look respectable.
Thompson finished with 25 points, all but two of them in the first half.
“He set the tone, he was aggressive,” Kidd said. “I thought being able to run him off screens and his ability to catch and shoot – and there for a minute, it didn’t matter about catch and shoot. He was going to take it off the dribble. He was just super-aggressive. As a leader and a veteran, I thought he did a great job for us.”
Thompson said he felt like he was moving without the ball as well as he has as a Maverick and that once he got a few easy looks, it made the harder ones a little easier as he went 10-of-13 from the field in the first half.
And his showing helped make a winner of Kyrie Irving, the former Celtic who had been 0-8 at TD Garden since 2020 and was booed by the Celtic fans every time he touched the ball.
“To be honest, I was trying to keep it as another game,” Irving said. “But I’d be lying if I say I’m not aware of the record I have in this building since 2020 or 2021. It’s more of a motivation factor for me now.
“They’re the best of the best, champions until another champion is crowned. You want to play your absolute best against them. They’re going to do everything in their power to stop me. They send a lot of double teams, but it only makes me better and I’m just grateful.”
Thompson said it was the sort of game that the Mavericks can build on, particularly with a four-game home stand coming up leading into the All-Star break.
“It was great, and much-needed,” Thompson said of the win. “We had a battle in Philly, Cleveland was kind of a wash because of the emotional day that was. But much-needed win. Especially against the defending champs. Those are ones you can really build off of. Everyone’s on a high right now. Because it’s fun to win in this building.”
As for his sizzling shooting, he said: “My teammates were looking for me. I’ve had great memories here, won a championship here. It’s just fun to play against the defending champs, too. It was a lot of fun.”
Spencer Dinwiddie had 22 points and Naji Marshall added 20 for the Mavericks, who had six players score 15 or more. Dante Exum was one of them with 15 points and the Mavericks were plus-29 when he was on the floor. Daniel Gafford was an under-the-radar hero with 15 rebounds.
It was a fabulous ending to a trip that had more emotional turns than any soap opera.
The Mavericks salvaged this trip with the win, ending with a 2-3 record and pushing their season mark to 27-25 as they return home. But the record doesn’t sum up the trip. Not even close.
Does anybody remember that one-point win in New Orleans that started this journey? It’s understandable if you don’t. Here’s the quick version of what happened since then:
Irving was passed over for the Western Conference All-Star team.
Exum made his season debut after preseason surgery on his right wrist.
Then came the bombshell of Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris being traded for Davis and Max Christie.
That was followed by the trade for Caleb Martin, which sent Quentin Grimes to Philadelphia.
For a trip that started so bad, it sure produced plenty of news flashes.
There had been hope that Davis would make his Mavericks’ debut against the Celtics, but that was ruled out about 90 minutes before tipoff when coach Kidd supplied his medical update.
But there’s no denying the buzz now after the win in Boston that accompanies the unveiling of Davis on Saturday.
“I’m so excited,” Thompson said. “It obviously sucks losing Luka, but when you get a player like A.D. in return, it makes it a lot easier to turn the page because he’s one of the greatest power forwards of all time. People forget he’s top-75 for a reason. And that was voted on by our peers.
“So he’s going to add a whole new dimension to our team. I don’t think there’s many better two-way players than him. The off-ball action me and him can create can be really special. And our front court is absolutely loaded with him.”
X: @ESefko
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