The Boston Celtics, with a 105-98 Game 2 win over the Mavericks Sunday, now possess a 2-0 NBA Finals lead as the series shifts cities.
Dallas started the opening period much better than it did in Game 1, seizing a pivotal 28-25 lead. Luka Doncic led the way with 13 points on 5 of 7 shooting, but the Mavericks fell short on securing the easy points, going just 4 of 9 from the foul line.
Kristaps Porzingis once again led Boston off the bench, scoring eight points on 2 of 3 shooting with a block. Whereas Dallas couldn’t convert free throws, Boston struggled from beyond the arc. The Celtics missed their first eight 3-point attempts before Al Horford’s late make broke the streak.
The second quarter tilted in Boston’s favor, which led 54-51 at the half. Jrue Holiday took over as the Celtics’ best scorer, posting 17 points on 7 of 9 shooting while Jayson Tatum struggled with five points on 2 of 10 shooting (0 of 3 from deep). Tatum did add eight assists.
But Dallas remained mostly one-dimensional, with Doncic having 23 points and three assists on 9 of 13 shooting. Kyrie Irving reached double-figure points on 5 of 10 shooting while Derrick Jones Jr. slashed his way for seven points, but the Mavericks lacked consistent offensive threat if Doncic didn’t shoulder the burden.
Boston began pushing away with a 13-point lead in the third quarter, but Dallas did well to make it a six-point game again, especially thanks to a Dante Exum 3-pointer. But then, Payton Pritchard, after missing all seven attempts in Game 1, hit a deep three at the buzzer to extend the lead to 83-74.
In the fourth, Dallas just didn’t produce enough offense with Doncic looking more fatigued as the game wore on. Boston increased the lead to 14, but a 9-0 Mavericks run cut it to five in the final minute. However, it proved too much to overcome.
Game 3 in Dallas is set for Wednesday, June 12 at 8:30 p.m. ET. It’ll be a must-win game for the Mavericks since zero of 156 teams have ever won a series down 3-0.
The Boston Celtics have taken a commanding 2-0 lead against the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, as Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combine to score 63 points in Game 2.