JAZZ SPOIL LUKA’S RETURN

Rudy Gobert gave Utah the lead with an alley-oop dunk with 11.0 seconds left and the Jazz held off the Dallas Mavericks 100-99 on Saturday in Game 4 to tie the first-round series.

Spencer Dinwiddie missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer for Dallas.

Utah held the Mavericks to 18 points in the fourth quarter after surrendering a double-digit lead in the second half. Dallas made just two baskets through the first seven minutes of the fourth and shot 33 percent overall in quarter.

“This is the team we want to be,” Gobert said. “This is who we are.”

Jordan Clarkson scored 25 points for Utah, Donovan Mitchell added 23 points and seven assists. Gobert had 17 points and 15 rebounds — 10 off the offensive glass. He was 3 of 8 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter and 9 of 18 overall.

Dallas star Luka Doncic had 30 points, 10 rebounds four assists in his return from a three-game absence because of a strained left calf.

“Getting my wind back,” Doncic said. “A little bit tired now but it felt great to be back.”

Jalen Brunson added 23 points, and Dorian Finneysmith, Dwight Powell and Reggie Bullock had 11 points apiece.

Game 5 is Monday night in Dallas.

“We were down 12 at the half and we stayed the course, and it comes down to the last

Jazz 100, Mavericks 99

possession,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “If you’re on the road in the playoffs and it comes down to the last play, you can’t ask for a better situation.”

After going 31⁄2 minutes without a basket, the Jazz took a 95-94 lead on Mitchell’s layup with 1:27 remaining. Doncic answered with backto-back baskets to put Dallas up 99-95.

Mitchell converted a three-point play to bring Utah within one. Powell missed a pair of free throws with 19.8 seconds left, opening the door for Gobert’s winner.

The Jazz doubled Doncic on the final possession, forcing him to kick out to Dinwiddie on the right wing for a 3point shot that fell short.

“We didn’t really execute it well,” Doncic said.

Utah led by 16 points before halftime. The Jazz built up a 51-35 lead after a big second quarter from Clarkson. He scored baskets on three consecutive possessions to help Utah carve out a doubledigit lead.

Dallas erased the deficit in the third quarter behind hot outside shooting. The Mavericks went 8 of 10 from long distance in the quarter and took a 74-71 lead when Finneysmith and Brunson scored 3pointers over four straight possessions to fuel a 12-2 run.

“I thought the way we responded to that was not like a blitzkrieg type response,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “It was a response over time which requires more mental toughness. You can’t just make a spurt and all of a sudden get it back. You have to grind it out.”

Celtics 109, Nets 103:

Jayson Tatum scored 39 points, Jaylen Brown had 23 and Boston took a 3-0 lead over Brooklyn.

Again making things difficult on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving with their suffocating defense, the Celtics put themselves in position to sweep their way into the second round with a victory Monday night in Brooklyn.

A loud “Let’s Go Celtics! Let’s Go Celtics!” chant broke out in the final minutes from the many fans in green who had seats in Barclays Center.

There wasn’t much for the home fans to cheer about as the Nets face a team that just won’t let them get anything going.

Durant took only 11 shots, finishing with 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Irving was 6 for 17 and also had 16 points for the Nets, who have to decide if they will give Ben Simmons his debut Monday in an elimination game.

Raptors 110, 76ers 102:

Pascal Siakam scored 15 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, Gary Trent Jr. added 24 points and Toronto beat visiting Philadelphia to a avoid a series sweep.

Game 5 is Monday night in Philadelphia. No team has come back from a 3-0 deficit to win an NBA playoff series.

Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid started despite a right thumb injury that required him to wear a brace. Embiid shot 3 for 10 in the first half. He finished 7 for 16 and scored 21 points in 39 minutes. Before the game, 76ers coach Doc Rivers said Embiid is expected to undergo an MRI.

James Harden had 22 points for the 76ers.

Timberwolves 119, Grizzlies 118: Karl-anthony Towns rebound from a poor Game 3 to score 32 points and grab 14 rebounds as host Minnesota held off Memphis to even their series a two games apiece.

Anthony Edwards scored 24 points and made four 3pointers as the Timberwolves made 18 of 36 from beyond the arc.

Desmond Bane led the Grizzlies with 34 points, Dillon Brooks had 24 points and Ja Morant had 11 points and 15 assists.

Notable

Toronto forward Scottie Barnes was voted NBA Rookie of the Year on Saturday, edging Cleveland’s Evan Mobley.

Barnes got 48 first-place votes and 378 points from a global panel of 100 writers and broadcasters. Mobley received 43 first-place votes and finished with 363 points.

Barnes helped engineer a turnaround in Toronto, where the Raptors went 48-34 after finishing 27-45 and missing the playoffs last season.

The difference of 15 points was the smallest margin in the rookie category under the current voting format that began with the 2002-03 season.

Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 pick in the draft, finished third.

NHL SCOREBOARD

RICK BOWMER AP Jazz center Rudy Gobert, who had 17 points and 15 rebounds, dunks against Dallas in the second half.