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June 14 (UPI) -- Dallas Mavericks defenders were a roaming wolf pack, showing teeth and fiercely defending their basket to dominate the Boston Celtics on Friday in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, avoiding elimination in the title series. "I think our energy was way higher," All-NBA guard Luka Doncic said on the ABC broadcast when asked about the Mavericks' defensive effort in the 122-84 blowout in Dallas.
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"Everybody was locked in on the defensive end and we played with higher pace."
Doncic scored a game-high 29 points. The Mavericks' 38-point margin of victory was the third-largest in NBA Finals history. The Mavericks, who led by as many as 48 points, outshot the Celtics 50.5% to 36.3%.
"We had to play our A game," Mavericks coach Jason Kidd told reporters. "It was this, or we go on vacation. I thought the group did a great job of not pressing and letting the game happen."
Game 5 of the best-of-seven game series will be Monday in Boston.
Doncic poured in 13 points over the first 12 minutes, when the Mavericks shot nearly 60% from the floor to carry a 34-21 lead into the second quarter. The Mavericks, who used a 10-0 run to take initial control, scored 22 points in the paint in the first frame.
Physical defense continued to frustrate the Celtics in the second quarter. Dallas started with a 16-4 run and then outscored the Celtics 27-14 in the quarter. They led 61-35 at halftime.
The Celtics' 35 points were their lowest halftime total in the regular season or postseason.
Doncic, who penetrated frequently through the Celtics defense, often dishing out assists to his teammates when he wasn't attacking the rim himself, totaled 25 points in the first half. The Celtics made just 5 of 19 3-point attempts over the first 24 minutes.
The Mavericks outscored the Celtics 31-25 in the third quarter, fueled by five 3-pointers from Tim Hardaway Jr., who came off the bench to score 15 points in the quarter. They carried a 92-60 advantage into the fourth.
The Mavericks, who rested their starters in the final quarter, outscored the Celtics 30-24 over the final 12 minutes. They finished with 60 points in the paint, compared to 26 for the Celtics. The Mavericks also held a 54-40 edge in points off the bench.
Dallas guard Kyrie Irving totaled 21 points. Dereck Lively II chipped in 11 points and made 12 rebounds.
Celtics forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who combined for 61 points in Game 3, scored 15 and 10 points, respectively, in Game 4. They combined to make 7 of 22 (31%) of their shot attempts.
The Celtics (3-1) will host the Mavericks (1-3) in Game 5 at 8:30 p.m. EDT Monday in Boston. Game 6, if necessary, will be Thursday in Dallas. Game 7 is scheduled for June 23 in Boston.
