BOSTON — The stakes paled in comparison to the 2024 NBA Finals, but Friday’s primetime showdown between the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics carried a heightened sense of emotion for both teams.
Cooper Flagg rocked a neon green colorway of the New Balance Hesi Low v2 sneakers to commemorate his homecoming at TD Garden, the closest NBA arena to his hometown of Newport, Maine. His teammate Naji Marshall donned a blue T-shirt displaying the phrase “In Flagg We Trust” during his pregame routine to celebrate the occasion.
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The Mavericks rookie received an electric ovation from the home crowd at TD Garden, but those same Celtics fans delivered a raucous level of applause for Jayson Tatum, who played his first NBA game in 298 days since tearing his right Achilles.
Mavericks
The six-time All-Star forward overcame a rusty start and nearly finished with a triple-double to help the Celtics trounce the Mavericks, 120-100.
Flagg gear of all sorts was sprinkled throughout the arena, including his throwback high school jersey at Montverde Academy, his royal blue No. 2 from Duke and his No. 32 Mavericks uniform that he wears today. The support was apparent for Maine’s native son, but Tatum’s comeback story and production helped lift the second-seeded Celtics to another victory.
Tatum failed to convert on his first six shots, several barely grazing the rim, before he caught a putback from a missed 3-pointer by Payton Pritchard. He threw the tip-slam in with two hands, but hung on the basket with one as Celtics fans rejoiced all over the arena. Tatum followed up immediately with a sidestep 3-pointer, the beginning of his comeback story that led to a night of 15 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.
Tatum received a standing ovation once he checked out of the game for good with five minutes left and the Celtics sitting comfortably with a 25-point lead.
Friday marked another rough offensive night for Flagg, who played his second consecutive game coming off a left midfoot sprain that caused him to miss eight games between Feb. 10 and Thursday night in Orlando.
The Mavericks held their breath in the first quarter when Flagg appeared to reaggravate his foot injury. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd called a timeout for Flagg to be evaluated by the training staff. After a few exercises and some time on the elliptical bike, Flagg returned in the second quarter.
He finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists and five fouls.
Twitter/X: @MikeACurtis2
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