June 17 (UPI) — Jayson Tatum was a roaring offensive engine, while teammates pestered their Dallas Mavericks counterparts in a 106-88 blowout Monday in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, clinching a record 18th title for the Boston Celtics.
Tatum recorded a game-high 31 points, with 11 assists and eight rebounds, to lead the Celtics to glory on their home floor at TD Garden in Boston. With the 4-1 series win, the Celtics passed the Los Angeles Lakers for the most titles in NBA history.
“It’s a surreal feeling,” Tatum said on the ABC broadcast. “We did it. Oh, my God. We did it.”
The Celtics — who led the NBA with 64 regular-season wins — led by as many as 26 points and never trailed in Monday’s series finale. Their active defense suffocated the Mavericks, who made just 11 of 37 3-point attempts.
Celtics forward Jaylen Brown scored 21 points. Guards Jrue Holiday and Derrick White scored 15 and 14 points, respectively.
“It was a full team effort,” said Brown, who was named NBA Finals MVP. “I share this with my brothers [and] my partner Jayson Tatum. He was with me the whole way.”
Celtics players produced a 13-5 run off the opening tip off and never looked back. The Mavericks made just one of their first nine shots and trailed 28-18 through the first 12 minutes.
The Celtics unloaded another 39 points in the second quarter, while holding the Mavericks to 28 for a 67-46 lead at the break.
Tatum scored 16 points — including 12 in the second quarter — and logged nine assists in the first half. Brown chipped in 15 through the first two quarters. The Celtics held Mavericks stars Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic to five and nine points, respectively, in the first half.
The Mavericks outscored the Celtics 42-39 over the final 24 minutes, but could not overcome their major deficit.
Doncic totaled 28 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, but also logged seven turnovers in the setback. Irving totaled 15 points. He made just 5 of 16 shot attempts.
The Celtics, who were outshot 44.9% to 42.7%, held a 58-45 edge in rebounding. They also registered 25 assists and just seven turnovers. The Mavericks totaled 18 assists and 13 turnovers.
By claiming their first championship in 16 years, the Celtics also became the sixth different team to win a title in the last six years.
