Celtics withstand Mavericks challenge, one win away from Banner 18

Boston pulled ahead by as many as 21 points in the fourth, only to see their lead trimmed to just three points. Meanwhile, Luka Dončić could only watch the closing minutes after fouling out.

DALLAS — For all the criticism Jayson Tatum has taken for not dominating games the way many feel he should, playoff Game 3s this year have been when Top-5 Tatum shows up and in doing so, shows out in a big way.

Tatum came into Wednesday’s Game 3 against Dallas averaging a double-double of 30.3 points and 11.3 rebounds while dishing out 7.3 assists in his previous Game 3s this year.

And those three games all ended with Boston victories.

Would Wednesday’s Game 3 against the Dallas Mavericks be more of the same?