Jaylen Brown said the Boston Celtics had learned from past mistakes after they took another step towards clinching the NBA championship with Wednesday's Game 3 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Brown had 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as the Celtics took a 3-0 lead in the series, holding off a late Dallas push to claim a 106-99 win.

They could now capture a record-breaking 18th NBA crown on Friday, when they are again on the road for Game 4 at American Airlines Center.

The Celtics were beaten NBA finalists against the Golden State Warriors two years ago and have also lost two Eastern Conference finals series in the last five seasons.

Brown thinks experiencing those near misses has made them stronger, saying: "Experience is the best teacher. 

"All year long we've been hearing about the Celtics in the past, for the last six to eight months, all we've been hearing is all the different shortcomings we've had in the past.

"This is a new team, you know what I mean? We've learned from those experiences. In these moments, you can see that we learned from it. We stepped up to the plate, and we found a way to win."

None of the previous 156 teams to face a 3-0 deficit have rallied to win an NBA playoff series, in any round.

Dallas gave themselves a chance of making a series of it when a 22-2 spurt pulled them within one point with three minutes and 37 seconds left.

However, a Brown putback was followed by a Derrick White 3-pointer and a Tatum dunk as the Celtics rediscovered their composure to pull clear once more.

Tatum is refusing to take his eye off the ball despite Boston now having four chances to clinch the title, saying: "Last year, when we were down 0-3 in the conference finals, we really felt like we were going to come back.

"We almost did. You know, we were my sprained ankle away from having a real shot, so we are not relaxing or anything like that. 

"You know, we're not even focusing on winning or Friday or whatever. However long it takes, that's our motto. That's what it's going to take, and nobody is trying to relax at all."

Jayson Tatum scored 31 points and Jaylen Brown added 30 as the Boston Celtics fended off the Dallas Mavericks’ furious rally for a 106-99 victory for a 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals on Wednesday night.

Brown finished with eight rebounds and eight assists and Derrick White had 16 points as Boston extended its franchise record with a 10th consecutive playoff win and moved to 7-0 on the road this postseason.

The Celtics can wrap up the series and win their 18th title to break a tie with the Lakers for most NBA championships with a victory Friday night in Dallas.

None of the previous 156 teams to face a 3-0 deficit has rallied to win an NBA playoff series.

Kristaps Porzingis was ruled out about two hours before the game because of a rare tendon injury in his lower left leg sustained in Game 2. But the Celtics improved to 10-1 in these playoffs without the 7-foot-2 Latvian.

Kyrie Irving scored 35 points for Dallas and Luka Dončić added 27 before he fouled out with 4:12 remaining.

The Celtics opened a 91-70 lead at the end of a 20-5 run early in the fourth quarter, but the Mavs answered with a 22-2 spurt to pull within 93-92 on Irving’s jumper with 3:37 left.

Brown made a layup and White hit a 3-pointer before Irving sank a pair of free throws. Tatum dunked and Brown drilled a long jumper sandwiched around Dereck Lively II’s dunk to put Boston up 102-98.

PJ Washington and Irving both missed 3s and Tatum’s two free throws with 15 seconds left sealed the win.

Irving’s personal losing streak against the Celtics – his former team – reached 13 games.

The Boston Celtics won't have Kristaps Porzingis for Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday because of a rare injury to his left leg.

The Celtics announced Tuesday that Porzingis suffered a torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon.

The team described the injury as being rare, and said it is unrelated to a right calf strain that side-lined Porzingis for 10 games earlier in the play-offs.

The injury occurred with 3:27 to play in the third quarter of Sunday's 105-98 win over the Mavericks, which gave Boston a 2-0 lead.

Porzingis helped spark the Celtics in Thursday's 107-89 win in Game 1, tallying 11 points and two blocks in the first quarter in his first game since April 29.

He finished with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting and six rebounds before recording 12 points and four boards in Game 2.

Porzingis spent 2 1/2 seasons with the Mavericks from 2019-22, and with this latest injury, still hasn't played a game in Dallas since being traded to the Washington Wizards in February 2022.

Jerry West, a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee as a professional player, Olympian and executive and the inspiration behind the NBA's iconic logo, died Wednesday at the age of 86.

The Los Angeles Clippers announced West's death in a statement. The basketball legend had been with the team as a board member and consultant since 2017.

"Jerry West, the personification of basketball excellence and a friend to all who knew him, passed away this morning at the age of 86," the Clippers said Wednesday. "His wife, Karen, was by his side."

Kyrie Irving accepted the blame for the Dallas Mavericks being 2-0 down to the Boston Celtics and vowed to do "whatever it takes" to turn things around.

The Mavs lost 107-89 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals and followed that up with a 105-98 defeat on Sunday to leave themselves with a mountain to climb.

Luka Doncic felt his performance cost his side in the most recent of those encounters, despite finishing with 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.

By comparison, fellow superstar Irving registered 16 points, two rebounds and six assists in almost the exact same number of minutes on the court.

And Irving admits it is now on him to step up in Game 3 at American Airlines Center on Wednesday if the Mavs are to drag themselves back into the series.

Asked about a conversation he was seen having with Doncic, Irving said: "It started with me just telling my [brother] I got to play better for him, alongside him.

"In order for us to accomplish our goal, we both have to be playing well and we both have to be doing the little things, doing whatever it takes to win.

"It was an easy conversation. But it started with me reaching out, just letting him know it's my fault, taking accountability for not playing particularly well."

Irving has so far averaged 14 points in the two games with the Celtics, which is down on the 22.8 points he averaged per game in the playoffs.

"First thing of that is just accepting that I haven't played well or up to my standards, as well as I would have liked," Irving said.

"Being back in Boston, there's such a level of desire that I have inside of me to play well. I wanted to be there for my teammates. As a competitor, it's frustrating. 

"But I don't want to let that seep in or spill over to any other decisions I have to make there as a player."

Irving has lost 12 straight games against the Celtics, whom he left in 2019, but Boston coach Joe Mazzulla is aware of what the eight-time NBA All-Star is capable of.

"It's not about shutting him down," Mazzulla said ahead of Game 3. "It's about making it difficult for him because of his ability to impact plays. We just have to fight for that. 

"He's got some good looks. I think we have to guard him better. I think he's definitely going to be more aggressive."

Boston Celtics centre Kristaps Porzingis sustained a rare injury to his left leg, putting his status for Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday into question.

The Celtics announced on Tuesday that he suffered a torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon.

The injury occurred with 3:27 to play in the third quarter of Sunday's 105-98 win over the Mavericks, which gave Boston a 2-0 lead.

The team described the injury as being rare, and said it is unrelated to a right calf strain that side-lined Porzingis for 10 games earlier in the play-offs.

He has not yet been listed on the official injury report, but the Celtics said his status is day to day.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters that Porzingis is working hard to be ready to play.

“It's a serious injury," Mazzulla said. "At the end of the day, our medical team is not going to put him in any bad situations. So, we’ve taken the decision to play out of his hands.”

Porzingis was seen wearing a brace before speaking with the media on Tuesday.

"I'll see how I am tomorrow," he said, "and obviously I'm going to do everything I can to be out there."

Porzingis helped spark the Celtics in Thursday's 107-89 win in Game 1, tallying 11 points and two blocks in the first quarter in his first game since April 29.

He finished with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting and six rebounds before recording 12 points and four boards in Game 2.

Dan Hurley has reportedly decided not to take the Los Angeles Lakers' head coaching job.

Hurley, who has won back-to-back collegiate national championships at UConn, turned down a six-year, $70million contract to coach the Lakers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The deal would've made him one of the NBA's highest-paid coaches.

UConn is now reportedly planning to make him the highest-paid collegiate coach.

Hurley reportedly was the Lakers' top choice for their head coaching vacancy following the firing of Darvin Ham after the team was eliminated from the play-offs in the first round.

The position of being head coach of the Lakers is one of the most high-profile basketball jobs on the planet - and includes coaching one of the greatest players in the sport's history in LeBron James - but Hurley will stay at UConn, where he has gone 68-11 over the past two seasons with a pair of championships.

By staying at UConn, Hurley will now try to achieve something that's only been done once before and that's win three straight men's national titles. UCLA is the only men's program to accomplish that feat, winning seven in a row from 1967-73.

Hurley has led the Huskies to a 141-58 record in his six seasons at UConn. He signed a $32.1million, six-year deal a year ago after leading the program to the 2023 national title.

With Hurley no longer in the fold, TV analyst and former player JJ Redick, as well as New Orleans Pelicans assistant James Borrego are reportedly the top candidates for the Lakers.

Jaylen Brown saluted Jrue Holiday's "killer-like mentality" as the latter starred in the Boston Celtics' victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Holiday top-scored with 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics, who moved 2-0 ahead in the NBA Finals series with a 105-98 win in Game 2 at TD Garden.

The 33-year-old, who was also 11 from 14 in the field, is eyeing his second NBA title, having triumphed with the Milwaukee Bucks three years ago.

And Brown believes that experience and know-how will be crucial as Boston move within two wins of their record-breaking 18th championship.

"He's brought championship pedigree to our team," he said. "So, nothing Jrue says we question. Jrue, he comes in, and he just is who he is.

"He's got that demeanour, that killer-like mentality, and we respect it. He's a great team-mate, and it's just an honour to play next to him."

"He was unbelievable," Al Horford added. "His effort defensively, and everything he brings on that end. And then, on offense, making reads, making the game easy, making the right decisions.

"He's so poised, and you can tell that he has been in these types of moments. Just very composed and just out there getting the job done."

The Celtics' ninth straight win of this postseason took them halfway towards their first NBA title in 16 years, but Holiday knows there is still a long way to go yet.

"We know being up 2-0 means nothing," he said. "[The] job's not done. We have to do whatever it takes. I'm here to win. I feel like they brought me here to win, and I'll do my best to do that."

Luka Doncic claimed he cost the Dallas Mavericks the game after they went 2-0 down to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, despite recording a triple-double.

Doncic finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists on Sunday, yet the Mavericks lost 105-98.

Yet Doncic, who recovered from a series of niggles to play in Game 2, was not impressed with his performance.

"I think my turnovers and my missed free throws cost us the game," he said.

"So, I've got to do way better in those two categories.

"But at the end of the day, we've got to make shots to win the game."

Doncic is only the fourth player, after LeBron James, Charles Barkley and Jerry West, to have a 30-point triple-double in a Finals loss.

And teammate Kyrie Irving aimed to provide Doncic with some solace.

"He's not alone, and we are going to tell him that," Irving said.

"He's spilling into his emotions, feels like he could play better, just like me. I would take the brunt of the responsibility. The first two games weren't the best for me.

"A lot of shots were hitting the back rim. That could p*** you off as a competitor, but it's all part of the game of basketball. And you have to accept the ups and downs of this. That's, I would say, the toughest challenge when you're in a series. You want to play extremely well, especially when you're playing in the Finals.

"Obviously, I'm going against Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown a few times, but I feel like I have the upper edge on certain possessions where I've just got to convert."

Mavs coach Jason Kidd suggested Doncic was being too hard on himself.

"He was great," Kidd said.

"No matter what he says, that's just who he is. He's a leader. It's not all on him. It's a team.

"We win as a team, and we lose as a team. So, he put us in a position. He was really good tonight. Unfortunately, we just couldn't get over the hump. I thought our defense was really, really good. We've just got to take care of the ball."

Jrue Holiday amassed 26 points and 11 rebounds to lead the way as the Boston Celtics opened up a 2-0 lead on the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals with Sunday's 105-98 win.

Holiday made good on 11 of 14 field goal attempts to help offset a rare off-shooting night from Jayson Tatum and help the Eastern Conference champion Celtics move within two wins of their first NBA title since 2008.

Tatum struggled to a 6-of-22 performance from the field, though the All-Star forward did contribute 12 assists and nine rebounds as Boston withstood a triple-double from Dallas' Luka Dončić and earned its ninth straight win of this post-season.

Doncic compiled 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in 42 minutes despite being a game-time decision. The NBA MVP finalist was listed as questionable for Game 2 due to a chest contusion he presumably sustained during Dallas' 107-89 loss in Thursday's series opener.

He added four steals but committed eight of the Mavericks' 15 turnovers on the night, while backcourt mate Kyrie Irving was held to 7-of-18 shooting while managing 16 points.

The Western Conference champions will attempt to avoid an 0-3 hole when they return home to host Wednesday's Game 3, though the Celtics are 6-0 on the road in these play-offs.

Dallas couldn't overcome a 21-point half-time deficit in Game 1, but it led 55-54 early in the second half of this one before the Celtics began to assert control late in the third quarter.

Boston used a 10-0 run, capped by Holiday's layup off a Tatum feed, to build a 75-63 advantage with under three minutes left in the period. The Celtics never trailed thereafter, though Dallas made a bid to get back in it late.

Down 14 with under 3 1/2 minutes remaining, the Mavericks scored nine straight points to pull within 103-98 on Doncic's 3-point play with 1:15 to go.

Dallas had a chance to move closer, but PJ Washington's dunk attempt in the final minute was blocked by Derrick White. Jaylen Brown then drove the lane and scored on the ensuing possession to extend Boston's margin to seven points with less than 30 seconds left.

Brown finished with 21 points and seven assists, while White had 18 points and went 4 of 10 from 3-point range.

Holiday recorded 17 first-half points on 7-of-9 shooting, though the Celtics took a slim 54-51 lead into the break as Doncic kept Dallas close with 23 points on a 9-of-13 success rate.

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Dončić will play in Sunday's Game 2 of the NBA Finals despite being downgraded to questionable on the injury report earlier in the day.

Doncic is dealing with a chest contusion and was given a questionable designation hours before the Mavericks were due to face the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. The NBA MVP finalist participated in pre-game warm-ups, however, and the team announced shortly afterward he would be available to play.

The franchise guard was initially listed as probable with a right knee sprain and left ankle soreness, injuries Doncic has dealt with for much of this post-season despite playing in all 18 of Dallas' games. 

Doncic is averaging 28.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game in the post-season to help Dallas to its first NBA Finals appearance since 2011. The five-time All-Star had 30 points and 10 rebounds in 38 minutes during the Mavericks' 107-89 loss to Boston in Thursday's series opener. 

Doncic is also averaging 41.3 minutes per game during the play-offs and has played at least 37 minutes in each of the Mavericks' post-season contests. 

The Dallas Mavericks downgraded Luka Doncic to questionable for Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics on Sunday.

With the Mavericks in danger of dropping the first two games in Boston, the injury designation from probable was made about 6 1/2 hours prior to tip-off.

He was also diagnosed with new ailment on the report, with a thoracic contusion being added to prior injuries of a right knee sprain and left ankle soreness.

Video posted of him from Saturday's practise showed the five-time All-Star holding his chest while appearing to be in some pain.

Doncic has routinely been listed on the injury report throughout the play-offs, but has yet to miss a game in the post-season.

Despite dealing with multiple injuries, he's still averaging 28.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists in the play-offs.

In Dallas' 107-89 loss to Boston in Thursday's Game 1, he finished with 30 points, 10 rebounds and one assist.

Jaylen Brown hailed Kristaps Porzingis after the Boston Celtics power forward returned from injury with a "monster game" against the Dallas Mavericks.

Porzingis, who has been absent for five weeks with a calf strain, played a starring role from the bench against his former side, as the Celtics drew first blood in the NBA Finals with a 107-89 win in Game 1.

Having not played since Game 4 in the first round against the Miami Heat, the Latvian marked his return with 20 points, six rebounds and three blocks at TD Garden.

And Brown, who top-scored for the Celtics with 22 points, paid tribute to his team-mate.

"Kristaps had a monster game for us," he said. "Just his presence shooting the ball and then him being able to attack those switches and mismatches, he made them pay every time, and that's what we need going forward in the series."

Porzingis was understandably thrilled to make up for lost time with his inspired display for top seeds Boston, who are targeting a record-breaking 18th NBA title this year.

"The adrenaline was just pumping through my veins," he said. "Obviously, it wasn't ideal that I was out for such a long time.

"But, I did everything I could to prepare mentally for this moment coming back, and it paid off, and we got the job done tonight and had a good game, and happy about the result.

"Tonight was an affirmation to myself that I'm pretty good, you know? Maybe I'm not perfect, but I'm pretty good and I can play like this and I can definitely add to this team."

P.J. Washington urged the Dallas Mavericks to "stay connected and together" following defeat to the Boston Celtics in their NBA Finals opener. 

The Mavs' first championship series since they were crowned champions in 2011 began with a 107-89 loss against the top seeds of this postseason at TD Garden.

It was Dallas' lowest scoring total during the playoffs, while their tally of just nine assists was the fewest in any match this term as they struggled against a strong Boston defense.

"We just have to stay connected [and] stay together," said P.J. Washington. "We are a great team. They are a great team at the end of the day. We're all right. It's only one game. We'll be better for Game 2."

"The ball has got to move a little bit more," added Kyrie Irving, whose 31.6 per cent shooting from the floor was his lowest in 14 career Finals games.

"That starts with me just being able to push the pace, get us some easy opportunities, and just adjust to what they are throwing at us.

"It's a fun series. It was fun going into the game. It's still going to be fun. But there's going to be a level of chess that still has to be played."

Mavs coach Jason Kidd also issued a rallying cry to his players, who he insisted must not be held back by the occasion.

"Give the Celtics credit," he said. "They did a great job defending, making it tough on us.

"I think this is the best team in the NBA, and they are good for a reason. They play their style of basketball at a high rate. Nerves or not being in this situation, we can't use that as an excuse. It's just basketball."

Jaylen Brown led six players in double figures with 22 points and Kristaps Porziņģis had 20 in his first game in over a month as the Boston Celtics pulled away for a 107-89 win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.

Jayson Tatum had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Derick White scored 15 for the Celtics, who improved to 13-2 in the playoffs with their eighth straight win as they seek their 18th NBA title.

Game 2 is Sunday night in Boston.

Porzingis came off the bench and provided an immediate spark in his first game since April 29 due to a strained right calf. He had six rebounds and three blocks in 21 minutes.

Luka Dončić had 30 points and 10 rebounds, but former Celtic Kyrie Irving managed just 12 points on 6-of-19 shooting and missed all five of his 3-point attempts.

Dallas totalled just nine assists on 35 field goals and its scoring total was its lowest of the postseason.

Boston started fast and led by 29 in the first half before Dallas opened the third quarter on a 22-9 run to pull within 72-64 on Doncic’s 3-pointer.

The Celtics responded with the next 14 points, capped by 3s from Tatum, Al Horford and Brown for an 86-64 advantage.