Game ID: 22500721
Boston Celtics @ Dallas Mavericks
Tuesday, February 3, 2026 at 8:00 PM ET
American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
DAL 29 15 23 33 100BOS 32 20 34 24 110
BOS @ DAL ScoutingBOS @ DAL Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
DAL availability going into 1/24 · 1 day's restOUT Gafford missed 4 since 1/15, returns tonight: 16 min (75% of 22)
OUT Russell missed 6 since 1/12, out tonight
BACK Flagg back 1/19 after 2, 29 min since (87% of 34)
BACK Washington back 1/14 after 4, 27 min since (86% of 31)
BACK Christie back 1/17 after 2, 32 min since (111% of 29)
BACK Williams back 1/14 after 2, 23 min since (104% of 22)
NEW Martin 15 to 23 min over the last 5
NEW Powell 14 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW Hardy 13 to 18 min over the last 4
DAL availability going into 1/28 · 3 days' restOUT Russell missed 7 since 1/12, out tonight
OUT Hardy missed 2 since 1/22, returns tonight: 24 min (193% of 13)
BACK Flagg back 1/19 after 2, 31 min since (92% of 34)
BACK Washington back 1/22 after 3, 24 min since (77% of 31)
BACK Christie back 1/17 after 2, 33 min since (113% of 29)
BACK Gafford back 1/24 after 4, 16 min since (75% of 22)
NEW Martin 15 to 23 min over the last 5
NEW Powell 14 to 26 min over the last 5
DAL availability going into 1/29 · back-to-backOUT Russell missed 8 since 1/12, out tonight
OUT Cisse missed 2 since 1/24, returns tonight: 17 min (124% of 14)
BACK Flagg back 1/19 after 2, 31 min since (92% of 34)
BACK Washington back 1/22 after 3, 27 min since (88% of 31)
BACK Christie back 1/17 after 2, 33 min since (113% of 29)
BACK Gafford back 1/24 after 4, 19 min since (85% of 22)
BACK Hardy back 1/28 after 2, 24 min since (193% of 13)
NEW Martin 15 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Powell 14 to 26 min over the last 5
DAL availability going into 1/31 · 1 day's restOUT Russell missed 9 since 1/12, out tonight
BACK Flagg back 1/19 after 2, 33 min since (97% of 34)
BACK Washington back 1/22 after 3, 29 min since (94% of 31)
BACK Gafford back 1/24 after 4, 21 min since (95% of 22)
BACK Cisse back 1/29 after 2, 17 min since (124% of 14)
BACK Hardy back 1/28 after 2, 15 min since (119% of 13)
NEW Martin 15 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW Powell 14 to 22 min over the last 5
DAL availability going into 2/03 · 2 days' restOUT Russell missed 10 since 1/12, not on tonight's roster
BACK Washington back 1/22 after 3, 28 min since (92% of 31)
BACK Gafford back 1/24 after 4, 23 min since (104% of 22)
BACK Cisse back 1/29 after 2, 15 min since (110% of 14)
BACK Hardy back 1/28 after 2, 15 min since (119% of 13)
NEW Martin 15 to 24 min over the last 5
DAL availability going into 2/05 · 1 day's restBACK Gafford back 1/24 after 4, 23 min since (106% of 22)
BACK Cisse back 1/29 after 2, 15 min since (109% of 14)
BACK Hardy back 1/28 after 2, 16 min since (126% of 13)
NEW Martin 15 to 26 min over the last 5
DAL availability going into 2/07 · 1 day's restOUT Washington missed 2 since 2/03, returns tonight: 23 min (73% of 31)
OUT Williams missed 2 since 2/03, returns tonight: 24 min (106% of 22)
BACK Cisse back 1/29 after 2, 14 min since (103% of 14)
BACK Hardy back 1/28 after 2, 16 min since (126% of 13)
NEW Martin 15 to 27 min over the last 5
DAL availability going into 2/10 · 2 days' restBACK Washington back 2/07 after 2, 23 min since (73% of 31)
BACK Williams back 2/07 after 2, 24 min since (106% of 22)
BACK Cisse back 1/29 after 2, 14 min since (103% of 14)
NEW Martin 15 to 26 min over the last 5
DAL availability going into 2/12 · 1 day's restOUT Nembhard missed 2 since 2/07, out tonight
OUT Cisse missed 2 since 2/07, out tonight
BACK Washington back 2/07 after 2, 24 min since (79% of 31)
BACK Williams back 2/07 after 2, 21 min since (93% of 22)
NEW Martin 15 to 22 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 1/26 · 1 day's restOUT Minott missed 11 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Boucher missed 28 since 11/26, out tonight
BOS availability going into 1/28 · 1 day's restOUT Minott missed 12 since 1/05, returns tonight: 5 min (30% of 16)
OUT Boucher missed 29 since 11/26, out tonight
BOS availability going into 1/30 · 1 day's restOUT Boucher missed 30 since 11/26, returns tonight: 4 min (33% of 10)
BACK Minott back 1/28 after 12, 5 min since (30% of 16)
BOS availability going into 2/01 · 1 day's restBACK Minott back 1/28 after 12, 3 min since (22% of 16)
BACK Boucher back 1/30 after 30, 4 min since (33% of 10)
BOS availability going into 2/03 · 1 day's restBACK Minott back 1/28 after 12, 3 min since (17% of 16)
BACK Boucher back 1/30 after 30, 4 min since (33% of 10)
BOS availability going into 2/04 · back-to-backOUT Boucher missed 2 since 2/01, not on tonight's roster
BACK Minott back 1/28 after 12, 3 min since (17% of 16)
NEW González 14 to 19 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 2/06 · 1 day's restBACK Minott back 1/28 after 12, 4 min since (24% of 16)
BACK Boucher back 1/30 after 30, 4 min since (33% of 10)
NEW Queta 25 to 32 min over the last 4
NEW Garza 16 to 21 min over the last 5
NEW González 14 to 20 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 2/08 · 1 day's restBACK Boucher back 1/30 after 30, 4 min since (33% of 10)
BOS availability going into 2/11 · 2 days' rest
full strength
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 117, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 28 free throws a game; Flagg at 30 and Marshall at 19 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Russell (10 straight). 2 days' rest. Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 99, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 14 free throws a game; Brown at 26 and Simons at 18 a game. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 99 a night to Dallas's 117 and the line, where Dallas takes 28 free throws a game to Boston's 14. Call it Boston 113, Dallas 110, Dallas keeping it close.
1/24 vs LAL 110-116 — DAL notes
DAL lost 110-116. DAL shot 41% (39 of 94) to LAL's 44%, 10 of 29 from three. The glass went 43-57 against them. Christie led with 24 (8 of 18, 4 of 10 from three); Marshall added 21, Williams 20. Q3 was theirs, 35-14, turning a 13-point deficit into a 8-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 102-75 against them. They led by as many as 15. Williams's -24 in 23 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/28 vs MIN 105-118 — DAL notes
DAL lost 105-118. DAL shot 45% (38 of 84) to MIN's 46%, 3 of 18 from three, and went to the line 39 times to MIN's 27 — 26 points from the stripe to their 20. DAL turned it over 17 times to MIN's 12, and MIN turned those into 15 steals. Washington led with 21 (10 of 20, 0 of 4 from three); Marshall added 18, Williams 17. Q4 was theirs, 30-26, the deficit cut from 17 to 13, but the other 3 periods went 92-75 against them. Martin's -17 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/29 vs CHA 121-123 — DAL notes
DAL lost 121-123. DAL took 12 more shots (103 to 91), fed by 13 offensive rebounds, but shot 47% to CHA's 47%, 11 of 33 from three. Flagg led with 49 (20 of 29, 3 of 5 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Thompson added 16, Williams 15. Q2 was theirs, 38-26, the deficit cut from 13 to 1, but the other 3 periods went 97-83 against them. Christie's -13 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/31 @ HOU 107-111 — DAL notes
DAL lost 107-111. DAL shot 45% (41 of 92) to HOU's 42%, 10 of 23 from three, and went to the line 26 times to HOU's 15 — 15 points from the stripe to their 11. DAL turned it over 11 times to HOU's 5, and HOU turned those into 10 steals. Flagg led with 34 (13 of 25, 1 of 4 from three, 7 of 10 at the line); Gafford added 16, Williams 13. Q3 was theirs, 31-28, the deficit cut from 8 to 5, but the other 3 periods went 83-76 against them. Marshall's -18 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/03 vs BOS 100-110 — DAL notes
DAL lost 100-110. DAL shot 42% (37 of 89) to BOS's 49%, 9 of 32 from three, and went to the line 22 times to BOS's 5 — 17 points from the stripe to their 3. Flagg led with 36 (12 of 24, 2 of 4 from three, 10 of 11 at the line); Martin added 13, Christie 10. Q4 was theirs, 33-24, the deficit cut from 19 to 10, but the other 3 periods went 86-67 against them. Thompson's -15 in 20 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/05 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 116, shooting 44 percent and 32 from three, 26 free throws a game; Flagg at 34 and Williams at 16 a game. That is 5 straight losses. One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 105, shooting 47 percent and 30 from three, 25 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 21 and Johnson at 15 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the defense, San Antonio allowing 105 a night to Dallas's 116. Call it Dallas 113, San Antonio 112, San Antonio keeping it close.
2/07 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 108, shooting 49 percent and 34 from three, 24 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 24 and Castle at 16 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest. Dallas comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 119, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 25 free throws a game; Flagg at 38 and Marshall at 17 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Washington (2 straight), Williams (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: San Antonio wins, and the game turns on the defense, San Antonio allowing 108 a night to Dallas's 119 and the glass, where San Antonio has been plus-5 a night and Dallas plus-0. Call it San Antonio 119, Dallas 110.
2/10 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 113, shooting 45 percent and 40 from three, 18 free throws a game; Brooks at 22 and Allen at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 10 a night. 2 days' rest. Dallas comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 123, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Flagg at 33 and Williams at 15 a game. That is 5 straight losses. 2 days' rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the defense, Phoenix allowing 113 a night to Dallas's 123 and the glass, where Dallas has been minus-4 a night and Phoenix minus-10. Call it Phoenix 117, Dallas 112.
2/12 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 116, shooting 52 percent and 35 from three, 28 free throws a game; James at 21 and Reaves at 20 a game. Without Dončić (3 straight). One day's rest. Dallas comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 123, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 27 free throws a game; Flagg at 29 and Marshall at 17 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Nembhard (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the turnovers, the Lakers giving it away 18 times a game to Dallas's 10 and the defense, the Lakers allowing 116 a night to Dallas's 123. Call it the Lakers 119, Dallas 113.
1/26 vs POR 102-94 — BOS notes
BOS won 102-94. BOS shot 43% (39 of 90) to POR's 41%, 13 of 34 from three, and got to the line 18 times to POR's 30. Pritchard led with 23 (8 of 16, 5 of 11 from three); Brown added 20, White 18. The hinge was Q1, 32-11: from level to 21 ahead. Pritchard was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
1/28 vs ATL 106-117 — BOS notes
BOS lost 106-117. BOS shot 47% (42 of 89) to ATL's 48%, 9 of 34 from three. BOS turned it over 16 times to ATL's 9, and ATL turned those into 11 steals. The glass went 51-38 for them. Brown led with 21 (9 of 20, 0 of 5 from three); Pritchard added 12, Hauser 12. Q2 was theirs, 28-22, the deficit cut from 20 to 14, but the other 3 periods went 95-78 against them. Pritchard's -30 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/30 vs SAC 112-93 — BOS notes
BOS won 112-93. BOS shot 45% (42 of 93) to SAC's 37%, 18 of 48 from three, and got to the line 16 times to SAC's 23. BOS turned it over 7 times to SAC's 14. Pritchard led with 29 (12 of 16, 5 of 6 from three); Scheierman added 16, Simons 16. The hinge was Q1, 40-25: from level to 15 ahead, and the lead reached 31. White was the night's best plus/minus at +28.
2/01 vs MIL 107-79 — BOS notes
BOS won 107-79. BOS shot 45% (41 of 92) to MIL's 35%, 15 of 42 from three. The glass went 52-40 for them. Brown led with 30 (12 of 20, 4 of 6 from three); Simons added 27, White 17. The hinge was Q2, 30-16: from level to 14 ahead, and the lead reached 31. White was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
2/03 @ DAL 110-100 — BOS notes
BOS won 110-100. BOS shot 49% (47 of 96) to DAL's 42%, 13 of 39 from three, and got to the line 5 times to DAL's 22. Brown led with 33 (15 of 29, 2 of 5 from three); Pritchard added 26, Garza 16. The hinge was Q3, 34-23: a lead of 8 became 19, and the lead reached 23. Scheierman was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
2/04 @ HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 103, shooting 43 percent and 35 from three, 22 free throws a game; Durant at 25 and Sengun at 23 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 9 a night. One day's rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 97, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 14 free throws a game; Brown at 26 and Pritchard at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the line, where Houston takes 22 free throws a game to Boston's 14 and the glass, where Houston has been plus-9 a night and Boston plus-3. Call it Houston 109, Boston 108, Boston keeping it close.
2/06 vs MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 96, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 14 free throws a game; Brown at 28 and Pritchard at 20 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest. Miami comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 118, shooting 47 percent and 33 from three, 24 free throws a game; Adebayo at 20 and Jaquez Jr. at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Herro (11 straight), Powell (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 96 a night to Miami's 118 and the line, where Miami takes 24 free throws a game to Boston's 14. Call it Boston 117, Miami 110.
2/08 vs NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 92, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 15 free throws a game; Brown at 31 and Pritchard at 23 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. New York comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 109, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 18 free throws a game; Brunson at 23 and Anunoby at 22 a game. Without McBride (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 92 a night to New York's 109. Call it Boston 112, New York 108, New York keeping it close.
2/11 vs CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 96, shooting 43 percent and 31 from three, 15 free throws a game; Brown at 30 and White at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. 2 days' rest. Chicago comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 129, shooting 42 percent and 32 from three, 23 free throws a game; Simons at 20 and Buzelis at 16 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Giddey (7 straight), Jones (10 straight), Smith (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 96 a night to Chicago's 129 and the glass, where Boston has been plus-7 a night and Chicago minus-5. Call it Boston 118, Chicago 107, Boston by 11.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
DALCF C. Flagg
CM C. Martin
DG D. Gafford
DP D. Powell
JH J. Hardy
KT K. Thompson
MC M. Christie
MC M. Cisse
MK M. Kelly
NM N. Marshall
RN R. Nembhard
BOSBS B. Scheierman
DW D. White
GO Gonzalez
HG H. González
JB J. Brown
JW J. Walsh
LG L. Garza
NQ N. Queta
PP P. Pritchard
SH S. Hauser
DAL/BOS the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Jaylen Brown leads Celtics over Mavs 110-100 despite Flagg's latest record for teenager
DALLAS -- — Jaylen Brown had 33 points and 11 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics beat Dallas 110-100 on Tuesday night, overcoming another stellar showing from Cooper Flagg and handing the Mavericks their season-worst fifth consecutive loss.
Flagg scored 36 points in the rookie No. 1 pick's first meeting with the team he grew up watching because Boston was the closest NBA city to his hometown, about 200 miles south of Newport, Maine.
The 19-year-old became the first teenager with three consecutive 30-point games five nights after setting the NBA scoring record for the under-20 group with 49 against Charlotte. Flagg had nine rebounds and six assists.
Payton Pritchard scored 26 points for the Celtics, who were playing without Anfernee Simons . Boston acquired Nikola Vucevic for Simons in a trade with Chicago earlier in the day, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press.
Luka Garza scored nine consecutive Boston points on 3-pointers during a 14-4 run that finished the third quarter and gave the Celtics an 86-67 lead. Garza made all four of his attempts from 3 and scored 16 points in 20 minutes.
Pritchard scored 15 points in the first half on 7-of-10 shooting, and the Celtics didn't trail again after Brown hit a tying 3-pointer and scored again from long range midway through the first quarter. Boston led by 23 points in the second half.
Daniel Gafford had 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Mavericks despite aggravating a right ankle injury that has sidelined him for 16 games this season. Gafford exited in the second quarter but returned in the third.
Caleb Martin scored 11 of his 13 points in the first half for Dallas.
Up next Celtics: At Houston on Wednesday to finish a quick two-game road trip in Texas.
Mavericks: San Antonio at home Thursday before visiting the Spurs on Saturday.