The Boston Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks 105–98 in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night, yet any good feelings about taking a 2–0 series lead were somewhat quelled due to the uncertain health status of the team’s star center.
During the fourth quarter, Kristaps Porziņģis hurt his leg going for a loose ball against Dallas guard P.J. Washington. He stepped awkwardly, hopped and fell down. He then ran up and down the floor a few times with his leg clearly bothering him. At the next dead ball he was replaced by Al Horford and never returned. Here’s the play where he was injured.
Porziņģis remained on the bench, appearing to stretch his calf. The interesting thing here is that he appears to be stretching his left calf. He just missed a month of the postseason with a right calf injury. He returned for Game 1 and was awesome.
If Porziņģis has a new injury to deal with, it could make the Finals interesting. Dallas lost the first games of their first and second round series and were tied 2–2 in both before eventually winning. If Porziņģis is hobbled, the Mavericks have a chance to even the series in Dallas. Boston fans might be holding their breath waiting for an update, but coach Joe Mazzulla is optimistic, saying after the game that he had “zero concern” about Porziņģis’s health status.
A new NBA champion will be crowned come June with the official start of the 2024 NBA Finals.
This year’s competition will feature a showdown between the top-seeded Boston Celtics and either the No. 5 Dallas Mavericks or No. 3 Minnesota Timberwolves. The Mavs currently lead the Western Conference finals series, 3-1, and will play the Timberwolves in Game 5 on Thursday.
If the Mavericks manage to close out the series, they will battle Jayson Tatum and the Celtics for their first NBA championship in 13 years.
The Celtics, meanwhile, will be looking to clinch their 18th championship in franchise history, which would surpass the Los Angeles Lakers (17) for most championships all-time.
Here’s how to watch and listen to the 2024 NBA Finals.
All 2024 NBA Finals games will broadcast on ABC.
Fans who have a cable subscription will be able to view the Finals broadcast, which is exclusive to ABC. They should check their local TV stations for specific channel info.
GAME
MATCHUP
DATE/TIME
CHANNEL
Game 1
Dallas Mavericks/ Minnesota Timberwolves @ Boston Celtics
Thursday, June 6, 8 p.m. ET
ABC
Game 2
Dallas Mavericks/ Minnesota Timberwolves @ Boston Celtics
Sunday, June 9, 8 p.m. ET
ABC
Game 3
Boston Celtics @ Dallas Mavericks/ Minnesota Timberwolves
Wednesday, June 12, 8:30 p.m. ET
ABC
Game 4
Boston Celtics @ Dallas Mavericks/ Minnesota Timberwolves
Friday, June 14, 8:30 p.m. ET
ABC
Game 5 (if necessary)
Dallas Mavericks/ Minnesota Timberwolves @ Boston Celtics
Monday, June 17, 8 p.m. ET
ABC
Game 6 (if necessary)
Boston Celtics @ Dallas Mavericks/ Minnesota Timberwolves
Thursday, June 20, 8 p.m. ET
ABC
Game 7 (if necessary)
Dallas Mavericks/ Minnesota Timberwolves @ Boston Celtics
Sunday, June 23, 8 p.m. ET
ABC
All 2024 NBA Finals games will be available to stream on the ESPN app as well as the ABC app. Both the ESPN and ABC apps will require a TV provider login, though.
Streaming options that don’t require cable include FuboTV, DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV. For fans not looking to spend exorbitant amounts on a streaming service, FuboTV offers a free one-week trial to new subscribers.
All 2024 NBA Finals games will be available to listen to on Sirius XM NBA Radio, Channel 86 nationally.
For local stations, fans are encouraged to check their local listings for channel information specific to their area.
Select NBA Finals broadcasts are also available on NBA on ESPN Radio. Fans should also check their local listings for more information as the start date of the Finals nears.
The Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics will face off in the 2024 NBA Finals. While many of the Celtics were on the team that went to the 2022 NBA Finals, some are making their Finals debut. The Mavericks, on the other hand are mostly made of Finals novices—with the very obvious exception of Kyrie Irving who hit one of the greatest shots in NBA Finals history against the Golden State Warriors in 2016.
Here are all the players making their NBA Finals debut this year.
Luka Dončić
It took him a few years, but he finally got here with the help of a ragtag bunch of castoffs that only a home PA announcer could love.
Tim Hardaway Jr.
Hardaway came to Dallas with Kristaps Porzingis and refused to leave. Tim Hardaway's son has now been in the NBA for over a decade and has been a valuable contributor off the bench for many of them. He's only played 13 minutes a night in 10 postseason games this year, but he'll be ready if they need him.
Jaden Hardy
Hardy has averaged just 4.2 points per game in his first postesason, but he's appeared in 14 of the Mavericks 17 playoff games and shot 40% from three. For a 21-year old taken in the second round of the draft who is only in his second season, that's a pretty good contribution.
Dwight Powell
Powell was drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats in June 2014. He was traded to Cleveland two weeks later and then traded to Boston in August. In December he was part of the trade that sent Rajon Rondo to Dallas. While Rondo was gone before the team was eliminated from the playoffs, Powell has been there ever since.
Josh Green
Green was Dallas's first round selection in 2020. He's become a regular contributor and has played in all 17 playoff games, averaging 17 minutes a game for the Mavericks this year.
Dereck Lively II
Lively slipped to the 12th pick in the 2023 draft where he was taken by the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was almost immediately flipped to Dallas, where he contributed whenever healthy. He's come off the bench throughout the playoffs to give the Mavericks an average of eight points, seven rebounds and a block every night.
Dante Exum
Exum was the fifth pick in the 2014 draft and spent his first five seasons in Utah before being traded to Cleveland. Then, he went and played in Spain for two years before returning to the NBA with Dallas. He's given them brief minutes off the bench in the postseason and provided one of the most exciting moments of the entire season.
Maxi Kleber
Kleber was undrafted and signed by the Mavericks in 2017. He's been a decent 3-point shooter and played 20+ minutes a game for the last six seasons. He suffered a shoulder injury in the first round, but returned for Game 5 against the Timberwolves.
A.J. Lawson
Lawson has spent time with the Atlanta Hawks and Minnesota Timberwolves before signing with Dallas in 2022. He appeared in 42 games for the Mavericks this season.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper
Prosper was drafted by the Kings and immediately traded to the Mavericks for cash. He bounced between the Mavericks and Texas Legends as a rookie, averaging three points and two rebounds in 40 NBA games. He has played one minute in the playoffs.
PJ Washington
After many wasted years in Charlotte, he was traded to the Mavericks on February 8th. This was his first trip to the postseason and he and Daniel Gafford celebrated their ascension on Thursday night.
Daniel Gafford
Gafford spent time in Chicago and Washington before Dallas rescued him the same day they picked up Washington. They have both started every game for Dallas during the postseason.
Kristaps Porziņģis
What a journey. Drafted fourth overall by the New York Knicks in 2015, Porziņģis was considered a unicorn. After suffering an ACL injury, he was traded—along with Tim Hardaway Jr.—to the Dallas Mavericks where people thought he could be the perfect second banana to a young Luka Dončić. After two first round exits in Dallas he was traded to the Washington Wizards. Then, he was traded again to the Celtics ahead of this season and played really well, but injuries have again limited him in the postseason. He should make his Finals debut.
Oshae Brissett
Brissett made his postseason debut with the Celtics after starting his career with Toronto and Indiana. Despite the lack of experience, he managed to make headlines by tweeting and deleting a message to Miami Heat fans early in the postseason. He has appeared in two of the Celtics last three games.
Svi Mykhailiuk
The Ukranian was taken by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 2018 draft using a pick that the Denver Nuggets originally traded in 2013. He spent time in Detroit, Oklahoma City Thunder, Toronto, New York and Charlotte before signing with Boston in the offseason. His one basket during the playoffs was a 3-pointer.
Neemias Queta
The 7-foot Portugese center was taken by the Kings in 2021 and signed with Boston during the 2023 offseason. He's been on the floor twice for Boston during the postseason.
Xavier Tillman Sr.
The Grand Rapids native was drafted by the Sacramento Kings out of Michigan State before he was traded to Memphis. He played 30 minutes a game during the Grizzlies first round loss to the Lakers last year. He was traded to Boston at the trade deadline and is playing a bit during this Celtics run so he should see the court in the Finals.
Jaden Springer
Springer was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers late in the first round of the 2021 draft. The Celtics acquired him at the trade deadline.
Jordan Walsh
Walsh was drafted in the second round of the 2023 draft by the Sacramento Kings and traded to Boston in exchange for Colby Jones. Walsh has appeared in nine regular season games and two postseason games so far.
Following the Boston Celtics’ 106-99 Game 3 win over the Dallas Mavericks to take a commanding 3-0 series lead in the NBA Finals, the Celtics media thought they would have a little fun with Mavericks star Luka Doncic.
NBA fans and analysts alike were well-aware of Doncic’s foul-baiting antics and incessant complaints throughout the game, and one Celtics media member decided enough was enough.
Doncic finished with 27 points on 11-of-27 shooting, but he fouled out with roughly four minutes left in the fourth quarter. NBC Sports Boston took the latter of those statistics and turned it into a savage graphic on X (formerly known as Twitter) paired with a screenshot of Doncic at the postgame presser.
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) June 13, 2024
Doncic appeared to tut at the officiating after the game, as his fifth and sixth fouls were arguably very close calls. One game away from suffering a Finals sweep, the Mavericks will host the Celtics for Game 4 on Friday night.
