Field Level Media
Dec 19, 2019
Kemba Walker scored 32 points and Jaylen Brown added 26 as the visiting Boston Celtics ended a two-game losing streak with a 109-103 victory Wednesday over the Dallas Mavericks.
Jayson Tatum scored 24 points while Enes Kanter grabbed 13 rebounds as the Celtics rallied from a 10-point second-quarter deficit to avoid dropping to .500 on the road. While the Celtics are 10-1 in home games, they are just 8-6 away from Boston.
Kristaps Porzingis had 23 points and 13 rebounds before he fouled out while Seth Curry added 20 off the bench as the Mavericks lost a game for the first time without Luka Doncic, who is out for two weeks with a sprained ankle.
The Mavericks were coming off a victory at Milwaukee without Doncic that ended the Bucks' 18-game winning streak.
The Celtics grabbed a slim lead early in the second quarter before the Mavericks went up by double digits at 48-38 with 3:47 remaining in the first half. The Mavericks took a 55-50 advantage into the break.
Behind nine points from Tatum, the Celtics outscored the Mavericks 26-18 in the third quarter to take a 76-73 lead. Boston closed out the period on a 5-0 run after a 3-pointer and a turnaround jumper by Grant Williams.
The Celtics grabbed their first double-digit lead at 95-85 with 4:13 remaining after seven consecutive points by Walker, who finished 5 of 10 from 3-point range. Walker scored 16 points in the first quarter and 13 in the fourth.
The Celtics won despite shooting 40.7 percent from the field and committing 16 turnovers. Boston outrebounded Dallas 54-42.
The Celtics' two-game slide, in defeats to the Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers, was their second of the season. Boston has not lost three consecutive games.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 13 points and Jalen Brunson added 10 -- combining to shoot 8-for-30 from the floor -- for the Mavericks, who are just 2-3 over their last five games following a five-game winning streak.
The Mavericks return to the road to play at Philadelphia and the Toronto Raptors. Dallas is just 8-7 at home, but is one of the better road teams in the NBA at 10-2.
--Field Level Media