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3 takeaways from the Celtics' thrilling 16th straight win

Maddie Meyer / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Surprise, surprise. Kyrie Irving and the undermanned Boston Celtics added a 16th straight victim to their list as they defeated the Dallas Mavericks 110-102 in an overtime thriller.

The Mavericks looked as if they were going to pull away in the fourth, going up by 13 with a little more than seven minutes to go. What they forgot was that no lead is safe against the scrappy Celtics.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

Kyrie Irving: Part-time magician

This is what the Celtics were expecting from Irving when they traded for him. This is why they were willing to give up the heart of the roster last season and a likely lottery pick. It doesn't matter who Boston is going up against, Kyrie is here to finish.

It's not always fair to look at Irving's box score as proof of his value. What's important is that the Celtics have someone who they can rely on to create on his own.

Irving ended the game with 47 points on 22 shots. That's textbook efficiency. He got to the free-throw line 11 times, hitting 10 and nailed five threes on seven attempts.

He came up with a huge steal, quickly got down the floor, and found Jayson Tatum for the alley-oop finish to tie the game at 96. He didn't just close the game by scoring tonight; he did everything else.

Marcus Smart: Full-time nightmare

No player can be defined as a bad dream quite like Marcus Smart. He started the game 0-8 from three, and considering he's shooting 27.3 percent, that shouldn't be a surprise. However, in typical Smart fashion, he hit a three with 1:24 left in regulation to bring the Celtics to within two points.

He has clear offensive deficiencies that cause Celtics fans headaches, but he's also a demon on defense to balance it out. Smart was a bulldog the entire fourth quarter. The Mavericks tried to switch him onto Dirk a few times down the stretch; the problem is that it doesn't matter how tall you are, Smart will stop you. Dallas learned that the hard way.

Young guns did it again

It's still astonishing to see Tatum and Jaylen Brown out there in crunch time. It isn't the fact that they're playing, but that they're contributing to winning basketball.

Tatum is 18 games into his NBA career and he's already running the floor and finishing with contact like a veteran. He finished the game with 15 points and nine rebounds. He also did an outstanding job on Harrison Barnes on the Mavs' final shot in regulation.

As for Brown, what can be said about a sophomore being second in scoring on the NBA's best team? He finished the game with 22 points and nine rebounds, hitting the go-ahead jumper in overtime. Clutch.

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