BOSTONThe Boston Celtics didn't exactly shut down Dallas' O.J. Mayo, who had 24 points on 10-for-19 shooting.
But the C's did force him into making a slew of miscues all game which factored heavily in Boston squeaking out a 117-115 double overtime win.
While Mayo was extremely efficient shooting the ball, his game-high nine turnovers would prove costly in Dallas' attempt at rallying from a double-digit deficit in the second half.
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"Nine turnovers just doesn't cut it," Mayo said. "When you get the ball you want to make a play, make a positive play for our team so turnovers really killed us."
Dallas came into Wednesday's game averaging 15 turnovers per game which ranked 16th in the league.
The Mavericks had 17 by the end of the third quarter, and finished with 28 that were converted into 32 points for the Celtics.
For Dallas, figuring out what went wrong was not that difficult to pin-point.
"We had turnovers that throughout the game, killed us," said Mavs forward Shawn Marion who returned to the lineup after missing a couple games with a groin injury. "We can't beat anyone with that many turnovers."
Boston's defense on Mayo was indeed a key factor in the Celtics stringing together back-to-back wins for the first time this month. Here are some other keys identified prior to the tip-off, and how they ultimately played out for the C's.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Dallas wants to get into an uptempo game that will generate at least 100 points for them. When they reach triple digits scoring this season, they're 8-1.
WHAT WE SAW: The Mavericks shot 51 percent from the field, scored 115 points in double overtime and still came up short courtesy of 28 turnovers that the Celtics converted into 32 points.
MATCHUP TO WATCH: Kevin Garnett vs. Chris Kaman: These are the kind of games when Garnett's ability to stretch the floor from the center position should pay huge dividends for the Celtics.
WHAT WE SAW: Garnett got off to a fast start by making his first three shots from the field and finished with 16 points to go with just two rebounds. Kaman had a good but not great night as well, scoring 12 points to go with five rebounds.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Rajon Rondo has a mismatch most nights, but Derek Fisher presents a different kind of challenge. He doesn't have the athleticism to hold his own against Rondo, but he is a crafty veteran who knows how to play the game at the highest levels and be successful with it.
WHAT WE SAW: Rondo was doing what Rondo does, and that's chipping in with big numbers in all the major statistical categories. He came one rebound shy of a triple-double by tallying 16 points, 15 assists and nine rebounds.
STAT TO TRACK: Bench scoring has picked up lately for Boston, a trend they will need to continue against a Mavs team that gets a lot of point production from its second unit. Dallas' bench averages 42 points scored per game which ranks third in the league among bench units while the Celtics are just 20th with a 30.3 points per game average from their backups.
WHAT WE SAW: The Mavericks' second unit out-scored Boston's backups 41-32, but the C's got some much-needed production from Chris Wilcox (10 points, six rebounds) that was huge in softening the blow that the Celtics normally take when Kevin Garnett sits down for a rest.