In Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday, the Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks 105-98 to take a 2-0 lead.
Late in the fourth quarter, the Mavericks put together a 9-0 run that the Celtics had to withstand in order to limit their lead to five points. Dallas had an opportunity to cut the lead to three points when P.J. Washington stole the ball. However, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White raced down to block Washington’s shot.
Brown extended his lead to seven points with a clutch lay-up in response.
The Celtics would only need that to protect home court.
In the victory, Brown finished with 21 points, seven assists, four rebounds, and three steals. He performed for forty-two minutes. Jrue Holiday scored the most, 26 points, and 11 assists.
Nearly giving Boston a triple-double was Jayson Tatum. Despite shooting just 6 of 22 from the field, he still managed to throw out 12 assists, grab 9 rebounds, and score 18 points.
Ahead of the second NBA Finals game, the Celts’ Joe Mazzolla responds to a question on race using faith.
Dallas made 47.5% of their field goals while making just 23.1% of its three-pointers. However, their 15 turnovers turned out to be the game-changing factor, particularly in the closing minutes.
Despite suffering from a long list of injuries, Luka Doncic finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. He shot 4-of-9 from deep and 12-of-21 from the field. However, as the team raced to bring the ball up the floor, Doncic committed a mistake that stopped them in part.