Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, top, and Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday, bottom, land on the parquet as they vie for the ball during the first half of Game 5 of the NBA basketball finals, Monday, June 17, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
BOSTON – Short jumpers rolled off the rim and 3-pointers went in and out. Even free throws were a challenge for Luka Doncic in the clinching game of the NBA Finals.
Dallas needed Doncic and Kyrie Irving to be at their best in Game 5 against the Celtics on Monday night. Instead, the Mavericks’ best players got off to a terrible start, and by the time their shots started falling the Celtics were coasting to a 106-88 victory and their unprecedented 18th NBA title.
Doncic scored 28 points and finished 12 of 25 from the floor, but missed his first six 3-point attempts. He had 12 rebounds but also turned the ball over seven times. He was 2 for 5 from the free throw line, a problem that has bothered him throughout the series.
Irving was 3 for 9 from 3-point range and 5 of 16 overall. He had nine assists but 15 points — six of them in the fourth quarter, when the game was already out of reach.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
