Final: Celtics 110, Mavericks 102 (OT)

The Celtics were in trouble in Dallas on Monday night, but Kyrie Irving came to the rescue. The All-Star point guard scored a season-high 47 points, including ten in overtime, which enabled the Celtics to rally from a 13-point deficit with seven minutes remaining and escape with their 16th straight win, a 110-102 victory.

Irving was an absolute offensive maestro all night long, shooting an efficient 16-of-22 from the field and 5-of-7 from 3-point range. He was perfect in overtime, scoring 10 of Boston's 14 points by hitting four of his shots, helping the C's erase an early four-point overtime deficit and pull away for the win.

With the win, the Celtics are now tied for fourth for the longest winning streak in franchise history.

THIRD QUARTER THOUGHTS

• More ugly offense by the Celtics to start the third quarter, as the Mavs stuck to a lot of 2-3 zone that the C's had trouble solving. Lots of sloppiness with the turnovers as well, particularly by Jaylen Brown who got an early rest.


• Meanwhile, the Mavs offense really find their rhythm behind Harrison Barnes who punished a variety of defenders with strong takes to the rim and midrange pullups. He scored 25 points through the first three quarters on 9-of-15 shooting.


• Free throws (9-of-9 in quarter) really helped the Celtics stay in this game in spite of a miserable shooting frame.


• With the struggles that the Celtics are having against this 2-3 zone tonight, it wouldn't surprise me if more teams try to go with it, particularly against a second unit that doesn't have any reliable shooters from the perimeter.


• Smart down to 1-of-9 on the night, 0-of-7 from 3-point range. Mavs pretty much begging him to shoot with their defense on him through this zone.


• Brad Stevens is going to have to ride his starters hard to complete eight-point comeback entering fourth quarter or get creative with some lineup choices.

• A semi-slow start out of the gate as has been custom for this team on the road, even during the streak


• Things changed quickly though once Jaylen Brown got going. He continues to be red-hot on the perimeter, even hitting a questionable pullup midrange jumper on the break. He went 5-of-6 in the quarter and 2-of-3 from downtown for 12 points in the first quarter alone.


• For as hot as Brown was, Kyrie Irving was even better. He scored a game-high 17 points in the frame and did not miss from the field (6-of-6) or free throw line (4-of-4). He's now hit 12 straight shots overall dating back to the second half of the Hawks game.


• While the Celtics' backcourt was red hot, Marcus Smart was not shy with his jump shot. He took three 3-point shots above the break and bricked all of them. Naturally, he still did a nice job distributing (four assists) and was a plus-1 in the quarter. C's scored 34 points in the frame overall while building a 34-22 lead.


• Predictable the start of the second quarter coincided with the C's offense cratering. Marcus Smart (1-of-7 FG) led a bench unit that went a collective 2-of-12 in the first eight minutes of the frame, leading to Boston scoring just 10 points in that span.


• Some rare and bizarre minutes for Abdel Nader midway through the quarter. He did not respond well to them, forcing up a jumper and committing a foul on a jump shot.


• C's stalling bench offense also helped the Mavs fight their footing offensively as well. Harrison Barnes and Wesley Matthews both got going from the perimeter as the hosts cut a double-digit lead to four before the half.


• The Mavs probably would have taken a lead if it wasn't for Irving re-entering the game at the four-minute mark. He proceeded to make three more consecutive buckets, giving him 16 straight dating back to the first half of the Hawks win before he missed a shot at the halftime buzzer. All in all, he scored 25 of Boston's 51 points in the opening 24 minutes, while Brown added 13.


• Just one shot for Al Horford in his 15 minutes.


• Dirk Nowitzki is moving around like a 40-year-old out there. Can't imagine he has more than a year left in him at this point.

• Big man Nerlens Noel remains on the outside of Rick Carlisle's rotation. The Mavs are looking like they dodged a bullet by having him pass on the four-year deal they offered at the start of free agency.


• Smith Jr. is one of the few bright spots on this team thus far, averaging 14.5 ppg and 4.5 apg.


• Dallas may have the worst record in the league but they aren't close to being the worst team from a talent perspective. Injuries and unlucky breaks have caused them to finish to lose two games more than their expected W-L record (5-12)


• The Celtics will match the fourth-longest winning streak in franchise history (16 games) with a win tonight.