Luka Dončić, Kyrie Irving Praised By NBA Fans as Mavs Avoid Finals Sweep vs. Celtics

Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving combined for 50 points during Friday night's Game 4 to keep the Dallas Mavericks' season alive.

The two stars led Dallas to a 122-84 blowout win over the Boston Celtics that marked the third-highest margin of victory in NBA Finals history.

The Mavericks extend the Finals to at least five games with the win. The Celtics still lead the series, 3-1.

The Celtics held a three-point advantage in the opening minutes of the first quarter. That would end up being the only time they held a lead Friday night.

Dončić then took over and set a Mavericks NBA Finals record by racking up 25 points in the first half.

Dončić's early dominance helped the Mavericks pull out to a lead as high as 48 points in the fourth quarter.

Irving contributed 21 points while making three steals as he provided strong defensive cover on Celtics star Jayson Tatum.

That dominant defense allowed the Mavericks to earn their historic lead over the Celtics despite Dončić and Irving shooting a combined 1-for-14 from deep.

The performance led fans to recall when Irving helped lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a comeback from a 3-1 series deficit during the 2016 NBA Finals.

Dallas' reserves then stepped up with Dončić and Irving on the bench in the fourth quarter as Tim Hardaway Jr. led bench players with 15 points, forcing the Celtics to concede their first loss in 11 games.

The dominant performance led some fans to start believing the 2023-24 Mavericks can become the first team in NBA history to recover from a 3-0 playoff series deficit.

The Mavericks will need another win, this time at TD Garden, to stay alive when Game 5 tips off Monday night.