The Celtics take a commanding 3-0 lead into Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday after fending off a furious Mavericks rally on Wednesday to put them within one win of their 18th NBA title.
Boston won despite Kristaps Porzingis being a game-day scratch.
The center is dealing with what’s been called a “rare” foot injury and his status for Game 4 is questionable.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown picked up the slack, combining for 61 points.
Ultimately, the Celtics’ 3-point volume has been too much for Dallas.
They have taken 48.8 percent of their shots from deep compared with 29.2 percent for the Mavs.
Though both teams are shooting subpar from 3-point range, Boston’s overall volume has amounted to a significant advantage.
We have yet to see a true offensive ceiling game for the Celtics in the Finals, and that could be coming in Game 4.
Boston has made just 40-of-107 (37.4 percent) of their open 3s in the series, per the NBA’s tracking data, and they hit more than 40 percent of those looks during the regular season.
The Mavericks have struggled to hide Luka Doncic on defense as Boston has relentlessly attacked him.
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Expect more of the same in Game 4, and bet on the Celtics looking more like the team that set an NBA record for offensive efficiency in the regular season.
Their team total is set at 105.5 points, a number they have cleared in two of the first three games in the series and 11 of 17 times in the playoffs.
The play: Celtics team total Over 105.5 (-115, bet365).