DALLAS – It’s back to square one for the Dallas Mavericks. And from the deep hole they fell in earlier this season, that’s a very good thing.
Harrison Barnes and J. J. Barea tallied 20 points apiece and the Mavs withstood a physical challenge from Boston en route to upending the Celtics, 113-104, Saturday night before a sellout crowd of 20,226 at American Airlines Center. It was the seventh win in their last nine games for the Mavs and put their overall record at 9-9.
This marks the first time the Mavs have been at .500 since they were 2-2 after a devastating loss in Atlanta on Oct. 24 when they blew a 26-point lead. On this night, the Mavs played with extreme confidence, were physical when they needed to be and won for the sixth straight time on their home court.
And getting back to .500 represents a major milestone for the Mavs, considering they started the season with a dismal 2-7 record.
“I am really happy for the players,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “It was a good start (to the season when the Mavs were 2-1), but then it was a very rough stretch and they have fought hard to earn their way back to even.
“Now we go on the road and it will be tougher there, but they are doing a lot of good things. We just have to keep accentuating that stuff and work on the things that give us problems.”
The Mavs’ problems Saturday were kept to a minimal. That’s because they shot 48.3 percent from the field, made 16-of-42 baskets from 3-point range and flipped 18 Boston turnovers into 22 points.
It’s also because the Mavs seemingly put up a “Not In My House” wall whenever the Celtics crossed the proverbial line and decided to get extra physical with the Mavs. That was particular true when Jalen Brown’s forearm sent rookie Luka Doncic sprawling to the floor in the third quarter.
Acting like a traffic cop, DeAndre Jordan rushed over and stepped in and confronted Brown, and both players ended up receiving a technical foul.
“One of the things about our team – one of the characteristics – is we have an edgy team, and they’re a competitive group,” Carlisle said. “They did a really good job tonight of channeling their edginess towards the opponent and sticking together.
“There were some tough stretches where Boston comes down and carves you up for a couple of layups and hit a couple of threes. Our guys just did a great job of sticking together tonight – that was great to see – and that’s been a big characteristic of this recent run is their togetherness.”
With Dennis Smith Jr. sidelined with a strained right wrist, Doncic started at point guard for the first time this season and really exploded out of the gate as if this was his calling. In the early goings Doncic was spraying assists all over the court, and draining a trio of 3-pointers in the first quarter on his way to scoring 15 points and distributing a season-high-tying eight assists.
“He played good,” Barea said of Luka. “He likes the moment. They got mad at him. . .He still took it to them, and he enjoys these games and he did alright.
“I like to play with him. He’s a smart player, so any time you have a smart player that can score, that can pass, it’s always fun.”
Wesley Matthews returned to the lineup for the Mavs after missing the previous two games with a strained left hamstring. Matthews finished with 15 points on 4-of-12 shooting.
“For three quarters, 3 1/2 quarters, we played the right way,” Matthews said. “And that’s a positive sign.
“I just didn’t want to mess it up, so that is where my mentality was.”
The only time the Mavs trailed was 74-73 midway through the third quarter. From there, the Mavs ran and hid form the Celtics, busting loose on a 33-16 rally that vaulted them ahead 106-90 midway through the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, Jordan (14 points, 13 rebounds played a major role in keep the Celtics at bay, as did Maxi Kleber, who finished with seven points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes.
Now it’s on to Houston for the Mavs, who open a two-game road trip against the Rockets on Wednesday.
