Boston: Jayson Tatum recorded 31 points and 11 assists as the Boston Celtics locked up their league-record 18th championship with a 106-88 blowout of the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night in game five of the NBA finals.
Tatum also had eight rebounds while Jaylen Brown added 21 points, eight boards and six assists for Boston, which celebrated the 16th anniversary of its most recent title by completing a 16-3 play-off run.
Jayson Tatum is surrounded by his Boston Celtics teammates as he lifts the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.Credit: Getty Images
The Celtics knocked off the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008 finals, and those two teams shared the league record with 17 championships apiece before Monday.
Jrue Holiday had 15 points and 11 rebounds and Derrick White chipped in 14 points as Boston wrapped up the best-of-seven series on its second opportunity.
Luka Doncic paced the Mavericks with 28 points and 12 boards, but he committed seven turnovers. Kyrie Irving finished with 15 points and nine assists for Dallas, and Josh Green netted 14 points.
After Dallas called a timeout with three minutes left in the second quarter, trailing by 11 points, Boston completely broke the game open.
The Celtics scored 17 of the next 24 points, six of which came from Brown. Payton Pritchard capped the outburst in jaw-dropping fashion, canning a 49-foot heave from half-court at the buzzer to send Boston into the break with a 67-46 cushion.
Holiday’s lay-up pushed the Celtics’ lead to 78-52 with nine minutes to go in the third quarter. Green then converted a put-back and knocked down a three-pointer as part of a 10-2 run that got the Mavericks within 80-62.