Boston has a dynamic duo who can light up the scoreboard on any given night. But, unlike in season's past, the Celtics don't go only as far as Jayson Tatum's and Jaylen Brown's scoring take them.
This was again on display in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, with five players scoring in double figures to give the Celtics a 105-98 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Boston picked up their ninth straight playoff victory, having last lost in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. While the Celtics struggled with their outside shots (10 of 39), they came up clutch when needed. Boston also used excellent defense to find quick easy buckets in putting the team two wins from picking up title banner number 18.
Tatum (6 of 22) and Brown (six turnovers) definitely had their frustrating moments throughout the game. Time and again, this season, both have shown off their growth. Tatum nearly had a triple-double, finishing with 18 points, nine rebounds, and a game-high 12 assists. Brown finished with 21 points (on 8 of 15 shooting) and seven assists of his own.
It was the play of Jrue Holiday that carried Boston on Sunday night.
Holiday was a constant recipient of the Mavs focus on Tatum and Brown, finding open shots all night. And Holiday converted, hitting on 11 of 14 shots to finish with a team-high 26 points, locking down a double-double by securing 11 rebounds.
Boston overcame a supreme first half by Luka Dončić. Dončić finished with a triple-double of his own (32 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists) but it was his first half scoring that had the Mavs rolling early.
First half battle
Dončić, who was questionable with a variety of ailments entering the contest, hit three of his first four shots, helping Dallas to an early seven-point lead.
Despite the Celtics missing their first eight attempts from deep, the Mavs had their own issues on offense, hitting a scoring drought of nearly four minutes. Al Horford finally hit Boston's first three with 3.6 seconds left in the quarter, with Dallas maintaining a 28-25 lead.
The Celtics had some bad turnovers to start the second quarter and Dallas extended their lead to six. Tatum finally found the scoring column, igniting a 9-0 Boston run, part of which saw Derrick White hit a three to give the Celtics their first lead of the game at the 8:01 mark.
Helping matters was another Dallas drought in which the Mavs went nearly five minutes without a point. But they righted the course and battled back and forth the rest of the half, with the second quarter seeing three ties and five lead changes.
A burst at the end of the half gave the Celtics a 54-51 lead at the break.
Dončić posted 23 points by halftime, hitting 9 of 13 from the field. Holiday had 17 at the break, with Kristaps Porzingis coming off the bench to add 10.
Tatum and Brown combined for only 13 first-half points but had 12 assists.
Celtics find second half momentum
Defense held court again in the third quarter. Two quick buckets gave Dallas the lead at 55-54 and the game was tied at 57 after a Daniel Gafford layup.
That, as it turned out, was the last time the two teams would be tied the rest of the way. A Holiday bucket and White three-pointer stretched the lead to five points. Dallas got it back to two but that was the closest the Mavericks would get.
Boston used a 10-0 run to take a 75-63 lead, a stretch where the Mavs nearly went four minutes without scoring. Dallas chipped away, getting the deficit to six before Payton Pritchard banked in a three-pointer to close out the quarter.
The Celtics fourth quarter shooting from deep, plus Pritchard's last-gasp in the third, saw the team finish the game hitting five of their last ten three-point attempts. Boston turned away each Dallas spurt and even extended their lead to 14 with 3:32 left.
Dallas had one final push, closing to withing five at the 1:15 mark. With a chance to close to three under a minute, a blocked shot by White (with some help from Brown) staved off the comeback and provided Boston with the victory.
Free throw shooting provided an edge for the Celtics, hitting 19 of 20 compared to the Mavs, who missed eight of their 24 attempts.
White finished with 18 points and Porzingis 12. Porzingis possibly re-aggravated a calf injury late in the game, so that's a story to keep an eye on in the coming days.
The Mavs had a well-rounded effort from their starting lineup, with all five starters hitting double figures. P.J. Washington finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. Gafford added 13 and 9, respectively, with Kyrie Irving scoring 16.
Team efforts like this and finding ways to overcome cold nights from three-point range are among the reasons this Celtics team is better than seasons past. Boston is built different and, despite naysayers, has proven they are the best team in the NBA this season. Now, they are two wins away from putting a stamp on it to make things official.
Game 3 is scheduled for Wednesday (June 12) at 8:30 p.m. (ET) on ABC.
photo credit: Flickr
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