Jrue Holiday scored 26 points and 11 rebounds, while Jayson Tatum compensated for a poor shooting night with 12 assists and nine rebounds as Boston Celtics defeated Dallas Mavericks 105-98 on Sunday night, taking a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals.
Luka Doncic, who was labeled doubtful less than two hours before the game, finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists, the Mavericks' first NBA Finals triple-double in team history. However, with 28 seconds remaining, he missed a one-footed, running floater from 3-point range, spoiling Dallas' final hope at a comeback.
For the ninth time, Boston Celtics have won the first two games of the NBA Finals. They've won the previous eight and have never had to go to a Game 7. Jaylen Brown had 21 points, Tatum had 18, and Derrick White had 18 for the top-seeded Celtics. Kristaps Porzingis scored 12 points while limping. Tatum shot 6 for 22 and 1 for 7 from three-point range, while the Celtics shot 10 for 39 from long range.
Boston Celtics took lead earlier
Kyrie Irving, who has faced hate from local fans since ending his stint in Boston in 2019, scored 16 points; he has lost 12 consecutive games versus the Celtics. Unlike their 107-89 triumph in Game 1, when a quick start from 3-point range gave them a 29-point first-half advantage, the Celtics missed their first eight long-range tries and shot around 20% for most of the game.
Tatum went 0 for 3 from three-point range at the half and finished the first quarter with just five points. When Peyton Pritchard banked in a half-court shot at the third-quarter buzzer, Boston was still 5 for 30 from long range, leading them by 83-74.
Dallas will host Game 3 on Wednesday night. To avoid a whitewash and earn a return back to the Boston Garden, where local fans are already reserving spaces in the rafters for what would be an incredible 18th NBA championship banner, Dallas Mavericks must win then or in Game 4 on Friday.
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