Jaylen Brown poured in 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Boston Celtics pulled away late to beat the Dallas Mavericks 110-100 on Tuesday night, sending Dallas to a season-worst fifth straight loss despite another standout performance from rookie Cooper Flagg.
Flagg scored a game-high 36 points in his first matchup against the team he grew up following, with Boston the closest NBA city to his hometown in Maine. The 19-year-old added nine rebounds and six assists and became the first teenager in NBA history to record three consecutive 30-point games, continuing a historic stretch that began with his record-setting 49-point outing against Charlotte.
Boston leaned on its backcourt depth, with Payton Pritchard scoring 26 points and shooting efficiently throughout the night. The Celtics were without Anfernee Simons, who was traded earlier Tuesday to Chicago in a deal that brought Nikola Vucevic to Boston.
After a tight first half, the Celtics took control coming out of the break. Luka Garza sparked a decisive run late in the third quarter, drilling four consecutive 3-pointers during a 14-4 surge that stretched Boston’s lead to 86-67. Garza finished with 16 points in just 20 minutes, making all four of his attempts from beyond the arc.
Pritchard had 15 first-half points, and Boston never trailed again after Brown knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the opening quarter. The Celtics built the lead to as many as 23 in the second half and kept Dallas at arm’s length the rest of the way.
Daniel Gafford recorded 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Mavericks despite briefly exiting in the second quarter after aggravating a right ankle injury. Caleb Martin added 13 points, 11 of them in the first half.
Up next:
Boston continues its Texas swing Wednesday night in Houston, while Dallas hosts San Antonio on Thursday before traveling to face the Spurs again Saturday.
