Celtics beat Doncic-less Mavericks 109-103, Kemba Walker drops 32 pts in Texas

Boston Celtics got one over the Dallas Mavericks 109-103 on Wednesday night (Thursday morning IST). The game took place at the American Airlines Travel Center in Dallas, Texas. Kemba Walker finished the game with team-high 32 points. Jaylen Brown added 26 points, while Jayson Tatum added 24 points. Mavs star Kristaps Porzingis scored 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Texas-based side, while Seth Curry followed with 20 points. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jalen Brunson added 13 points and 10 points respectively. The Mavericks were missing Luka Doncic, who is out for a few weeks due to an ankle sprain. Celtics' Gordon Hayward (foot soreness) and Marcus Smart (eye infection) were sidelined. 

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NBA 2019-20: Boston Celtics beat Dallas Mavericks 109-103, Kemba Walker drops 32 points

Boston Celtics defended well against the Mavericks, holding them 15 points below their season average, which included the Mavericks season-low 18 points in Q3. Mavericks established early leads for the first three quarters. Kemba Walker scored 10 back-to-back points during Q1 to reduce their early lead. However, the Mavericks held Walker scoreless during Q2. Curry and Porzingis' combined effort gave the Mavericks a 10-point lead. Grant Williams' three-pointer during Q3 gave the Celtics an advantage with 1:27 minutes left. The Celtics came back during Q4. With over 6 minutes left on the clock, Tatum's three-pointer gave the Celtics an 88-80 lead. Kemba Walker scored three-pointers and made 4 free throws, which extended Celtics lead to double digits. The Mavericks hit five three-pointers to decrease the deficit, but could not overtake the Celtics. 

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NBA 2019-20: Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks player ratings

Boston Celtics

• Jayson Tatum – 7.5/10
• Semi Ojeleye – 4.5/10
• Daniel Theis – 4/10
• Javonte Green – 4/10
• Kemba Walker – 8/10
• Enes Kanter – 6/10
• Jaylen Brown – 7.5/10
• Grant Williams – 5/10
• Brad Wanamaker – 4/10 

Dallas Mavericks

• Jalen Brunson – 7/10
• Ryan Broekhoff – 6/10
• Dorian Finney-Smith – 5/10
• Tim Hardaway Jr. – 6.5/10
• Jalen Brunson – 6/10
• Seth Curry – 6.5/10
• Justin Jackson – 4.5/10
• Kristaps Porzingis – 7.5/10
• Dwight Powell – 4.5/10
• Delon Wright – 5.5/10

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