Dallas, TX
Stats Rundown: 6 numbers to know from the Mavericks’ 122-84 Game 4 win over the Celtics
Breathe a sigh of relief, Dallas. Your Mavericks will not be swept in these 2024 NBA Finals after Friday’s 122-84 thrashing of the Boston Celtics in Game 4 at American Airlines Center.
The Mavs finally played the inspired brand of basketball on both ends of the court in the one-sided Game 4 affair that helped them conquer the Western Conference on this playoff run. And it didn’t hurt that, at the same time, the Celtics couldn’t hit the broad side of a big ole’ barn when they had the ball.
Even if all the Game 4 win accomplishes is delaying what is still at least a little bit inevitable, the entire roster — nay, the entire organization — nay, the entire region — needed this win in a bad way after the bad taste left over from Game 3’s collapse. Luka Dončić scored 29 points in just 32 minutes and Kyrie Irving added 21 in just 30 minutes, as the Mavs’ star duo both rested for the final 14 minutes of the win.
The 84 points the Mavericks held Boston to in Game 4 was seven points fewer than their previous low-point output in a game this year, which came in a 104-91 loss to the Bucks in April after the Celtics had already clinched the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed.
And that was a freebie, so here are six more key stats from the season-saving win that, in the grand scheme, really only brings a slight breeze back into the Mavericks’ sails. But, hey, as North Texans can attest this time of year, a slight breeze is better than no breeze.
38: The margin of victory
The Mavs’ 38-point win represents the third-highest margin of victory ever in an NBA Finals game. Celtics coach Joe Mazzula waved the white flag and took out his starters late with 3:18 left in the third quarter.
Dallas led by as many as 48 points in the lopsided win. Jaden Hardy put Dallas ahead 115-67 midway through the fourth on a 3-pointer assisted by Tim Hardaway Jr. in extended garbage time.
36.3%: Boston’s field goal shooting
The Mavs kept the Boston offense in front of them on defense, avoiding the dreaded blow-by, which in turn prevented the Celtics from getting as many open 3-pointers on kickouts.
Dallas held Jaylen Brown to 3-of-12 shooting. They held Jayson Tatum to 4-of-10, and Derrick White to 2-of-8 in the win. No one in green scored more than 15 points in Game 4.
21-7: Mavericks’ first/second quarter run
The Mavericks put the game away early with a run that started in the first quarter and leaked into the second. Dallas and Boston traded jabs for the first six minutes of the game, as is customary in this series, before Xavier Tillman’s 3-point play in the lane pulled them to within one, down 15-14, with 5:36 left in the frame.
In the next two minutes and change, the Mavs rattled off 10 straight points, six coming from Dončić. He bullied his way to 13 points in the first with businesslike precision an attack-first, complain-less attitude.
That 10-0 spurt became a 21-7 run early in the second when Dante Exum drove through the teeth of that vaunted Celtics defense for a nice finish to give the Mavs their largest lead of the series to that point, 36-21, with 11 minutes left in the first half.
Dallas had a 12-point lead early in Game 3, but collapsed for the next two-plus quarters to lose in demoralizing fashion. On Friday, though, the Mavericks turned on the afterburners with that 15-point lead. After Jaylen Brown went 1-for-2 from the free throw line, the Mavs outscored the Celtics 22-13 in the final nine minutes of the first half to take a 61-35 lead into the break.
60-26: Dallas’ points-in-the-paint advantage
The Mavericks owned the paint against the Celtics Friday, the same way they did against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves win Rounds 2 and 3 of this playoff run. Boston did not score a basket inside the 3-point line at all in the second quarter, and that’s exactly when the game got away from them.
65-39: Dallas’ rebounding advantage
Everyone who entered the game for the Mavericks was active on the boards. The effort was relentless, and it translated to a lopsided win in the battle of the boards as well.
Dereck Lively II earned his second straight double-double in these NBA Finals with 11 points and 12 rebounds. His 11 points and 13 boards in Game 3 may have been Dallas’ lone bright spot in that otherwise horrific loss. He brings an energy off the bench that is unmatched on this roster.
1-for-1: Dereck Lively II’s 3-point shooting
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Visions of sugarplums danced in the heads of Mavs fans everywhere when Dončić found Lively alone in the right corner midway through the first quarter and the big man rose up for a 3-pointer with the confidence of guard and splashed in his only attempt from deep of these playoffs.
With the 3-pointer, Lively is now the youngest player ever to make a 3-pointer in the NBA Finals. He’s also now the only player in Mavericks franchise history to record four or more offensive rebounds and hit a 3-pointer in one half of a playoff game. The 13 rebounds he grabbed in Game 3 made him the youngest player in NBA history to record double-digit boards in an NBA Finals game. Only Lively and someone named Magic Johnson have ever recorded back-to-back double-doubles at age 20 in NBA Finals history. If we are effusive in our praise of the youngster, it’s because he continues to make it crystal clear at every turn that he is no normal rookie.
We’ve heard tell of a developing jump shot from the 20-year-old rookie, but seeing him hit one in the NBA Finals can only make one wonder just how good this kid can be going forward. Even if the Mavs can’t pull off the impossible in the next three few games, Lively’s continued development will be huge for this team in the coming years. He’s grown so much throughout this playoff run, and the sky appears to be the limit for this young man.
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Dallas weather: May 10 morning forecast
Today is by far our most active day of the extended forecast. After our Red River Counties got some severe storms overnight, we expect a mostly quiet morning. Isolated storms are expected to start forming just after noon. The severe threat begins mid-afternoon in a more scattered fashion, before a cold front ushers in widespread rain and strong storms this evening.
DALLAS – A powerful cold front sweeping across North and Central Texas on Monday is expected to trigger a wave of severe thunderstorms capable of producing large hail, dangerous winds, and isolated flash flooding.
Severe weather in North Texas
Timeline:
The National Weather Service in Fort Worth warned that while showers and storms will begin developing Monday morning, the risk of severe weather will peak during the afternoon and evening hours as the front advances southward.
We are tracking two distinct phases of the storm system. Initial storms are expected to be “discrete,” or individual cells, which carry a high risk of large hail exceeding 2 inches in diameter. As the evening progresses, these individual storms are forecast to merge into a large cluster or broken line.
Once the storms consolidate, the primary threat will shift toward damaging straight-line winds. Forecasters warned that wind gusts could exceed 70 to 75 mph, speeds capable of downing trees, damaging roofs, and causing power outages.
In addition to the wind and hail threats, the system is expected to dump significant amounts of water. While most areas will see standard rainfall, there is a 10% to 15% chance that some locations could receive up to 4 inches of rain. Isolated flash flooding can happen over these locations.
Live Radar
We are watching how morning activity near the Red River might influence the speed of the cold front. The exact position of that front will be the primary factor in determining where the most intense storms initiate.
Residents are encouraged to monitor local forecasts and have multiple ways to receive weather warnings throughout the evening.
The front is expected to push through the region by Tuesday morning.
7-Day Forecast
The Source: Information in this article is from the National Weather Service and the FOX 4 Weather team.
FC Dallas returns home tonight to host Western Conference rivals Real Salt Lake.
Lineups are in from both sides. Let’s dive into what Eric Quill’s starting group looks like, who is on the bench, and who we believe will see minutes later on in this one.
What Changed From Last Match
If it ain’t broke, right? This is the same group as last week that picked up three points in New York.
FC Dallas Lineup Notes:
Starting XI
Formation: 3-4-3
Bench
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Who should come off the bench?
I almost think you roll out the same group of subs that worked last week in New York. That would be Chris Cappis, Logan Farrington, Sebastien Ibeagha, Sam Sarver and maybe more minutes for Caleb Swann. That, or give Nicholas Simmonds a few more minutes out there.
Key Question Heading Into Kickoff
After ending a couple of streaks last week, can FC Dallas finally put together a complete performance at home?
There is no getting around it: this is a big one for FC Dallas tonight. They need to figure out how to get the most out of their home games here this week (and next) before being gone for three and a half months. If they can replicate what they did last week in New York where the defense was stout, the attack was clinical, and everything else in between came together…there is no reason why they can’t string together a couple of wins in a row here starting tonight.
Suspended: none
International duty: none
Season-ending injury list: Kaka Scabin (knee)
Out: Anderson Julio (Lower leg), Bernard Kamungo (lower leg)
Questionable: none
On Loan: Tsiki Ntsabeleng (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Enes Sali (Al-Riyadh), Malachi Molina (Nashville SC), Geovane Jesus (North Texas SC), Enzo Newman (North Texas SC)
Unavailable (off-roster): Daniel Baran, Jaidyn Contreras
RSL Lineup Notes:
Formation: 5-4-1
Starting XI
How to watch
📅 Date: Saturday, May 9, 2026
⚽️ Kickoff: 7:30 PM
🏟 Venue: Toyota Stadium
📺 Streaming: MLS Season Pass
💬 Gameday Social: #FCDvRSL
☀️ Weather: 87, sunny
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