CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks will battle in Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals Wednesday night at TD Garden in Boston.
The Celtics lead the series 2-0 as the Mavs are struggling to find their range on 3-pointers. For the Celtics, Kristaps Porzingis’ health has again become an issue as a rare tendon issue could keep him out of Game 3.
Here’s a quick preview of tonight’s Game 3, along with some of what the key characters are saying heading into the contest.
Game 3 preview
When: Tonight, 8:30 p.m.
What: Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Boston leads, 2-0.
TV: ABC.
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas.
Odds: Dallas - 2; Over/Under 213.
What to know
Dallas faces several daunting numbers going into Game 3.
The Celtics are on a nine-game playoff winning streak, a franchise record in pursuit of an NBA-best 18th banner. Just five of the previous 36 teams to face this deficit (14%) have come back to win the title.
One number has to change for the Mavs to rally. Players not named Doncic are 5 of 32 from beyond the arc, with co-star Kyrie Irving misfiring on all eight attempts.
Doncic, who is 8 of 21 from deep, is the only Dallas player with more than one bucket from 3. His role-playing partners have to figure out how to produce without forcing things.
“Just one thing: Keep shooting,” the Mavericks superstar said. “We all believe in those shots. That’s how we came to the Finals. That’s how we played the whole season. We believe in those guys.”
What they’re saying
Boston’s Jaylen Brown:
“It’s almost like you got to trick your mind almost in a sense. You almost got to play like you’re down 0-2 rather than up. That’s hard to do.”
Mavs coach Jason Kidd:
“I sound like I’m repeating myself. But if we can take care of the ball and not give them live-ball turnovers where they are not just laying up the ball or dunking, it puts us in a better seat. We’ve got to take care of the ball. That’s the next step in the series.”
Celtics’ Kristaps Porzingis:
“That’s something I’ll leave in the medical staff’s hands to determine whether I can go or not. Nothing is going to stop me unless I’m told I’m not to, or not allowed to play. That’s the only reason I would not be out there.”
- Information from the AP was used in this post.