Mavs avoid sweep, win Game 4 in third-largest NBA Finals rout - ESPN

DALLAS — There were two options for the Dallas Mavericks. Pack for Boston, or pack for vacation.

Boston awaits.

These NBA Finals are not over, thanks to one of the biggest blowouts in title-round history. Luka Doncic scored 25 of his 29 points in the first half, Kyrie Irving added 21 and the Mavericks emphatically extended their season on Friday night, fending off elimination with a 122-84 rout of the Celtics in Game 4.

The 38-point final margin was the third biggest in an NBA Finals game, behind only the Chicago Bulls beating the Utah Jazz 96-54 in 1998 and the Celtics beating the Los Angeles Lakers 131-92 in 2008.

«It's real simple. We don't have to complicate this. This isn't surgery,» Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. «Our group was ready to go. They were ready to celebrate and we made a stand. We were desperate. We've got to continue to keep playing that way. They're trying to close the door. The hardest thing in this league is to close the door when you have a group that has nothing to lose. Tonight, you saw that.»

The Mavs' stars were done by the end of the third quarter, with good reason. It was all Dallas from the outset, the Mavs leading by 13 after one quarter, 26 at the half and by as many as 38 in the third before both sides emptied the benches.

Before Friday, the worst NBA Finals loss for the 17-time champion Celtics was 137-104 to the Lakers in 1984. This was worse. Much worse, at times. Dallas' biggest lead in the fourth was 48 — the biggest deficit the Celtics have faced all season.

The Celtics still lead the series 3-1, and Game 5 is in Boston on Monday.

The Mavericks won by 38 points (122-84) in Game 4 on Friday night, the third-largest win in NBA Finals history:

«Preparation doesn't guarantee an