Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic has been downgraded from probable to questionable (Thoracic Contusion; Right Knee Sprain; Left Ankle Soreness) for Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics on Sunday night.
Doncic, who played in Game 1 and scored 30 points, has been dealing with ankle and knee injuries since Game 3 of the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Luka Doncic is now listed as questionable for Game 2. He has a thoracic contusion in addition to the right knee sprain and left ankle soreness he has been playing through.
Despite the injuries, Doncic has been effective for most of the playoffs, dominating in the Western Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Even with Doncic listed as questionable, oddsmakers have not moved the odds in Boston’s favor for Game 2.
This injury designation could just be gamesmanship by the Mavs, but it’s certainly a little concerning to see Doncic downgraded before the biggest game of the season to date.
Dallas has been solid in the playoffs and this season as a road underdog, going 14-12 against the spread overall. If Doncic ends up getting ruled out, this spread would skyrocket in favor of Boston, but for now it appears he will at least try to give it a go based on these odds.
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The Miami Heat were bounced from the NBA playoffs in five games by the Boston Celtics, but star Jimmy Butler believes things would have been different if he was healthy.
Butler suffered a sprained MCL during the play-in tournament against the Philadelphia 76ers. He missed all five games against the Celtics.
"If I was playing, Boston would be at home," Butler recently said in an interview with Rock the Bells. "New York would d--- sure be f--king at home."
The Celtics cruised to the Eastern Conference's best record (64–18) this season, but Butler's confidence likely is coming from the rivals' recent playoff history. The Heat got the better of Boston in both the 2020 and '23 conference finals.
Butler was named the 2023 Eastern Conference finals MVP after tallying 24.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game against the Celtics.
Butler ended his quick interview with Rock the Bells by addressing New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, who he played for with the Chicago Bulls from 2011 to '15 and again with the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2017 to '19.
Thibodeau and the Knicks are set to face the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers in six games.
"I love Thibs, but I don't want him to win," Butler said. "Thibs, I love you baby, but I want to beat you to a pulp. It's like a one-sided relationship. You're in love with me. I love you, but I'm not in love with you."
Butler, 34, will be paid over $48 million by the Heat next season. He has a $52.4 million player option on his contract for the 2025-26 campaign.
When Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said last week that Jaylen Brown was the Boston Celtics’ “best player,” it was widely believed that Kidd was playing mind games (an allegation Kidd denied) rather than expressing an earnest opinion about Boston’s hierarchy. But he may have been right.
Kidd’s initial assertion seemed outlandish because Jayson Tatum undoubtedly has a better résumé than Brown. (Tatum was named First-Team All-NBA in each of the past three seasons, while Brown has just one Second-Team selection to his name.) Brown is a star, but Tatum is a superstar. In the Finals, though, it’s Brown who has shone brightest.
Tatum struggled offensively in the first two games of the series, averaging 17 points per game on 31.6% shooting (although he contributed in other ways). And while Tatum was better in Game 3 (31 points on 11-of-26 shooting), he was quiet again in the fourth quarter as the Mavs mounted a ferocious comeback, making just one of his five field-goal attempts.
That’s when Brown stepped up.
The fourth quarter very nearly turned into a nightmare for the Celtics. Boston was able to stretch its lead to 21 points in the opening minutes but saw that lead evaporate as the Mavs reeled off a 22–2 run to cut the deficit to one. The only Boston basket scored during Dallas’s run—which lasted more than seven minutes—was by Brown. He played a huge role in helping stop the skid, scoring on a putback layup with 3:08 to play that made it 95–92 in favor of the Celtics and hitting a contested jumper with 1:01 to play that made it 102–98. He scored nine of Boston’s 21 points in the final quarter as the Celtics held on to win, 106–99.
“I mean, how can I explain Jaylen?” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “The guy just has a growth mindset. He just wants to get better. He yearns to get better. He’s not afraid to face his weaknesses on the court. So when you have that type of mindset, you’re just going to be able to take on every situation that the game brings you. He puts himself in every single situation that he sees in a game. He uses six, seven, eight coaches a day, and every situation on both ends of the floor, he puts himself in that.
“And that’s how you have to grow, is to become vulnerable and on the things that make you uncomfortable, and he does that.”
Brown’s biggest play of the night, though, may have been the foul he drew on Luka Doncic with 4:12 to play. Brown attacked Doncic in transition and gave Doncic no choice but to commit a foul, causing him to foul out. Doncic’s absence changed the entire shape of the game. Once Doncic was forced to leave the floor, Dallas’s comeback came to a screeching halt. Kyrie Irving did his best to carry the Mavs, but Doncic’s absence allowed Boston's defense to zero in on Irving.
Doncic’s poor performance was the other main takeaway from Game 3. He scored 27 points, but his uninspired defense left him vulnerable to foul calls, eventually leading to his disqualification from the game. His constant complaints to the referees probably didn’t help flip any borderline calls in his favor, either.
Doncic has never been a great defender but that’s been especially problematic against a Boston team whose scoring depth makes hiding Doncic on defense impossible. And he’s clearly struggling with injuries that hinder his mobility, making him even more of a defensive liability. Doncic certainly looks like he could use a rest, and now that the Mavs have fallen behind 3–0 in the series, it appears he’ll be getting one very soon.
McIlroy is looking for his first major victory in a decade. / Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports
… things I saw last night:
5. The couple that got married in the stands during a Giants game. 4. Giancarlo Stanton’s 449-foot shot for his 17th home run of the season. Stanton, Juan Soto (17) and Aaron Judge (25) have combined for 59 homers this season, which is more than five teams have on the year. 3. Christian Pulisic’s free-kick goal vs. Brazil. 2. Angel Reese’s big game against the league-leading Sun. She had a career-high 20 points and 10 rebounds as she notched her fourth straight double double. 1. Jaylen Brown’s ferocious dunk at the end of the third quarter.
The Boston Celtics are up 3–0 on the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals, and could win a championship on Friday night in Game 4.
Forward Jayson Tatum is ready to add a championship to his resume, but not just for himself. He wants to win the title for all of his teammates, too. So, he isn't really focused on the additional accolades winning the finals can bring, like being named the NBA Finals MVP.
"Finals MVP or whatever, a champion is a champion. That's the goal," Tatum told Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes. "I want for my teammates what I want for myself. I want everybody to shine. There's enough attention for all of us. And so, I want everybody to give us theirs."
Tatum added that because the Celtics recently lost in the NBA Finals, back in 2022 to the Golden State Warriors, he wants to win this title to prove the doubters wrong. Critics will emphasize that while Tatum has earned some of the top achievements in the NBA, he still doesn't have a championship.
"Because I've been here before, and I know what it felt like to lose [in the Finals] and that was the worst feeling ever," Tatum said. "That was the worst summer I ever had. I made the All-Star team five times. I'm All-NBA first team year after year. The only thing they said I haven't done is win. ... I just vowed to myself that if I ever got back to the Finals, then I would literally do whatever I needed to do to ensure that we have a different outcome."
If the Celtics win the franchise's 18th title on Friday, the organization will lead NBA history for the most titles as the Los Angeles Lakers have 17. The Celtics last won in 2008.
