Derrick White was huge with his 16 points in the third quarter as the Celtics return to Boston after a 3-1 road trip.

Daniel Gafford was perfect, scoring 22 points with 12 rebounds and 4 blocks in the Mavericks’ down-to-the-wire win over the Pelicans.

Jun 17, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) drives to the basket against Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) in game five of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Gafford is one of the Mavericks' best rim protectors. Last season, he was traded from the Washington Wizards to Dallas and made an impact by averaging 1.9 blocks in 29 games. This season, he's averaging 1.4 bpg.

Dallas led 16-6 just four minutes into the game and had a 29-25 advantage after one quarter. The Celtics built a 15-point lead in the second quarter, but the Mavericks scored the final five points in the half to trail 59-49. Boston had no turnovers in the first half.

Excellent two-way play

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.

Dallas Mavericks center Daniel ... did,” Gafford told Sportskeeda. The shoe's unveiling originally came with the announcement that Gafford and two of Irving's former teammates, Derrick Jones ...

The Dallas Mavericks were in the middle of an up and down 2023-24 season before acquiring PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford before last season’s trade deadline. Dallas ended up finishing the ...

DALLAS (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 24 points, Derrick White added 23 ... Quentin Grimes added 20 off the bench and Daniel Gafford had 19 points and matched a season high with 15 rebounds for ...