Shorthanded Celtics beat the shorthanded Mavs 109-103

Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty ImagesThe Boston Celtics traveled to face the Dallas Mavericks after 5 days off, and they managed to overcome the absence of Gordon Hayward . . . and Marcus Smart . . . and Robert Williams III . . . and Vincent Poirier to beat the Mavs 109-103. Kemba Walker led all scorers with 32 points, and Kristaps Porzingis paced Dallas with 23 points and 13 rebounds.

Kemba Walker took over the first period, scoring 16 points – including a stretch where he scored 10 points in a row for a stagnant Boston offense. Without the team’s two best passers in uniform, the Celtics had difficulty scoring on many occasions. In the second period, the Jays took over to close a gap…