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Keys to the Game: Celtics 110, Mavericks 102 (OT)

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Key Moment

No matter what type of shooting night Marcus Smart is having, he’s never afraid to shy away when the game is on the line. And more often than not, he delivers in the clutch.


Smart did it again Monday night in Dallas, as he overcame a tough shooting performance by burying a clutch 3-pointer that helped push the game into overtime, before the C’s pulled away for their 16th straight win.


The Celtics, who trailed by as many as 13 points during the fourth quarter, were facing a 96-91 deficit with a minute and a half remaining in regulation. Smart, at the time, had shot just 2-for-13 from the field, including 1-for-9 from 3-point range; but that didn’t alter his confidence during the game's waning moments.


With the shot clock winding down, Jayson Tatum passed to Smart at the top of the arc. Smart did not hesitate in the slightest as he turned toward the basket, looked past Yogi Ferrell’s contesting hand and drained a 27-foot 3-pointer with 1:24 left on the clock.


If Smart had missed the shot, Dallas could have made it a three-possession game on its next trip up the floor, which would have likely put the game out of reach. Instead, Smart’s bucket put Boston within two points and instilled confidence within the whole squad.


On Dallas’ next offensive possession, Kyrie Irving stole the ball from Dirk Nowitzki, and then fed Jayson Tatum for a game-tying alley-oop layup.


The teams were tied 96-96 as they headed into overtime, but Irving quickly disposed of the Mavericks as he scored 10 of his season-high 47 points during the extra period, while leading Boston to a 110-102 win.

Key Player

For a while, it seemed as if Kyrie Irving would go all of Monday night without missing a shot against the Dallas Mavericks.


The All-Star point guard shot 6-for-6 from the field for 18 points during the first quarter, and did not miss until his tenth attempt of the night, which was an off-balanced heave to beat the buzzer at halftime.


After the break, Irving picked up right where he left off. He finished the night with a season-high 47 points, including 10 in overtime, on 16-of-22 shooting from the field, 5-of-7 from 3-point range and 10-of-11 from the free throw line.


Irving also dished out six dimes and had a game-high plus/minus rating of plus-21 to round out his best game in a Celtics uniform.

Box Score Nuggets

  • Kyrie Irving notched a season-best 47 points on 16-of-22 shooting from the field.
  • Irving made his first nine field goal attempts of the night.
  • Harrison Barnes led Dallas in the scoring department with 31 points.
  • Irving had a game-high plus-21, while Barnes had a game-low minus-21.
  • Jaylen Brown logged 22 points, marking his third straight game of notching 22 points or more.
  • The Mavericks trailed by as many as 15 points in the second quarter.
  • The Celtics trailed by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter.
  • Dallas' bench had a 31-15 advantage over Boston's second unit.
  • The C's out-rebounded the Mavs, 53-45.
  • Marcus Smart dished out a game-best eight assists.
  • Thirty-nine-year-old Dirk Nowitzki logged the game's only double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
  • The Celtics scored 22 fast-break points, while Dallas only logged eight points on the break.
  • No C's player reached double-figures in rebounding, but Jaylen Brown, Marcus Morris and Jayson Tatum all corralled nine boards.

Quote of the Night

Brad Stevens on Marcus Smart's hustle plays.