In the second game of the best-of-seven series, Holiday scored 26 points, while Jayson Tatum, his teammate, finished with 18 points, 12 assists, and nine rebounds for the Celtics.
In a triple-double, Luka Doncic scored 32 points, dished out 11 assists, and pulled down 11 rebounds for the Mavericks, who converted 16 of 24 free throws to the Celtics’ 19 of 20 attempts.
“They were double-teaming him [Tatum] and he was making the right play,” Holiday stated.
“The way that he played, the way that he led us, getting into the paint, making plays, finding me wide open – it was all about him.”
Derrick White and Jaylen Brown, who scored 21 and 18 points apiece, were also helpful to the Celtics.
Doncic, who converted four of his eight free throws and gave up eight turnovers, knows he and his team will need to do better for the next game, which is on Wednesday in Dallas.
“In the end, we need to take a few more shots,” the Slovenian stated.
“I think my turnovers and my missed free-throws cost us the game, so I’ve got to do way better in those two categories.”
With 17, PJ Washington ranked second on the Mavericks in terms of scoring, while Kyrie Irving scored 16.
