The Boston Celtics came out as the clear winners with a 106-88 result on Monday after crushing the Dallas Mavericks’ title-winning dreams in five games of the NBA Finals. Despite the loss, there were a few highlight-worthy moments from the Mavs that grabbed attention. One of them was by Dereck Lively II.
With around four minutes remaining in the opening quarter, Mavs guard Kyrie Irving drove the ball closer to the basket and passed it to Lively, who had the best chance of scoring as he was near the rim. However, on receiving the ball, as the rookie took a step back, three Celtics players surrounded him, so he passed the ball to teammate Luka Doncic who came as a savior.
The Slovenian showed off his skills by tackling the defenders and giving the ball to Irving, who drove them towards him so that Lively became free. Then the 2016 champion passed him the ball and bam, without wasting time, the 20-year-old shot a marvelous alley-oop, adding two points to the Dallas scoreboard, which now displayed 13, while Boston was up by 16.
The gameplay between the three forming a triangle was something the fans enjoyed watching. Though they expected some more actions from Lively after his sensational record in the previous game, the 7-foot-1 center struggled in the next quarters.
Dereck Lively II Struggles in Mavs Loss
Following his 2-point contribution, Dereck Lively II couldn’t add any more points to the game. While many hoped Lively’s confidence would grow after scoring a brilliant 3-pointer in the last game, it went otherwise.
Being on the hardwood for 24 minutes, Lively attempted two shots from the floor, managed only one on target, and didn’t try any shots from the deep. The former Duke C finished the night with 2 points, 4 rebounds, and a block.
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Despite dropping another double-double of 28 points and 12 rebounds, Luka Doncic failed to help the Mavs with the win as he didn’t get much help from his teammates at both ends.
Though Kyrie Irving kept his word and came back to the TD Garden for Game 5, the Mavs couldn’t turn the game around and had to give in to the 18-time NBA champions.
Also Read: Kyrie Irving Unleashes Fierce Reality Check on Celtics Before Game 5 of NBA Finals
