As well as Kyrie Irving has played, the hobbled Mavericks have been a bottom-seven offense over the past month, minus Luka Dončić.

Jayson Tatum scored 24 points, Derrick White added 23, including Boston’s first 11 of the third quarter, and the Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks 122-107 on Saturday night in the first meeting between the teams since the NBA Finals.

The Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics met in Dallas on Saturday for their first matchup since last season's NBA Finals. Dallas was missing many key pieces, including starters Luka Doncic and Dereck Lively II, while Boston was wrapping up a four-game road trip.

Individually, Irving’s numbers were better against the Celtics on Saturday, but for the Mavericks the result was all too familiar. They will see the Celtics again, in Boston, on Feb. 6, trade deadline day. Perhaps they will have Doncic back, or nearly back, by then.

The Celtics opened as the eight-point favorite with movement on both sides depending where you look, moving Boston either up or down half a point. The C’s are 7-1-1 in their last nine meetings against the Mavs, while Dallas is just 4-10 ATS in its last 14 outings.

The Dallas Mavericks fell to the Boston Celtics in an NBA Finals rematch on Saturday evening, 122-107. While it was a disappointing result for the Mavs, there was one shining moment for them.

The NBA champion Boston Celtics dominated the Dallas Mavericks in a Finals rematch on Saturday as the Houston Rockets took the Cleveland Cavaliers down a peg and Victor Wembanyama ended a "priceless" week in Paris with a defeat.