Basketball

Boston Celtics (64-18, first in the Eastern Conference) vs. Dallas Mavericks (50-32, fifth in the Western Conference) Dallas; Friday, 8:30 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK : LINE Mavericks -1.5; over/under is 211.

DALLAS (AP) — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown shared a long hug after helping Boston avoid the biggest collapse in an NBA Finals game since at least 1997.

DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic tried to set his feet just beyond the 3-point line as the Dallas Mavericks were making a furious comeback attempt.

DALLAS (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis did not play for the Boston Celtics in their Game 3 victory of the NBA Finals over Dallas on Wednesday night because of a rare tendon injury in his lower left leg suffered in the previous game.

DALLAS (AP) — Joe Mazzulla is a big fan of UFC matches and splices highlights of fights into some of the basketball video he shows the Boston Celtics. He doesn't do it for entertainment purposes or to make players laugh.

DALLAS (AP) — Jerry West was remembered at the NBA Finals on Wednesday night. The NBA and the fans at Game 3 in Dallas paid tribute to the life of the Basketball Hall of Famer with a pregame video tribute and moment of silence before the game.

The NBA has never confirmed the worst-kept secret in basketball, that Jerry West is the player whose silhouette is depicted in the league’s logo. There’s probably a reason for that: West never wanted to be the logo.

Jerry West left West Virginia decades ago. He never left his home state behind. For years, he quietly gave significant sums of money to his alma mater, West Virginia University.

The NBA and sports world reacted Wednesday to the death of basketball Hall of Famer Jerry West. He died Wednesday morning at age 86 with his wife, Karen, by his side, according to a statement from the Los Angeles Clippers.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Since 1969, Jerry West has been the faceless face of the NBA. For those 5 1/2 decades, the NBA's logo has been a blank white silhouette of a player flanked by panels of blue and red.