The Boston Celtics proved why they held the best record in the entire NBA this season in Game 2 against the Dallas Mavericks. As fans will certainly know by now, the Celtics have matched up against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals.
Boston defeated the Mavs in Game 1 with a final score of 107-89. By doing so, they even forced Mavs head coach Jason Kidd into playing mind games in an attempt to stick a wedge between Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown heading into Game 2.
All of Kidd’s efforts proved to be in vain as the Celtics ended up winning Game 2. With that being said, fans will certainly be interested in finding out how Boston defeated the Mavs and successfully defended home court for the first half of this series.
The Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks despite a poor three-point shooting night
After witnessing the Celtics in action this season, many fans agreed that they were the best three-point shooting team in the entire NBA. However, the Celtics struggled to score from long distance in Game 2 and made just 10 of 39 three-point attempts.
The Celtics even trailed for the first half of the game but initiated a comeback to take the lead towards the end of the second quarter. Although Jayson Tatum struggled to score and finished the night with 18 points, he had 12 assists and focused on facilitating for his teammates.
Assists in the first half:
Jayson Tatum: 8
Dallas Mavericks: 8Dropping dimes 🔥 pic.twitter.com/PbdwDE6aHJ
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 10, 2024
Jrue Holiday was undoubtedly the best and most valuable player for the Celtics in Game 2. He finished the game with a team-high 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists. While the Celtics did not find much success from the three-point line, Jrue did all the little things in terms of defense, securing offensive rebounds, and attacking the rim for open layups.
This game was much closer and filled with excitement when compared to Game 1. However, the Celtics ended up prevailing with a final score of 105-98. Boston has certainly put itself in a solid position to win the NBA Finals. Moreover, there are plenty of issues that the Mavericks need to address as the series shifts to Dallas for Game 3.
Kyrie Irving continued to struggle offensively vs Boston Celtics
Luka Doncic played sensationally, as fans would expect, in Game 2. He finished the game with a statline of 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. Despite Doncic’s heroic performance, the Dallas Mavericks ended up losing. Kyrie Irving did score more compared to his 12-point night in Game 1. However, his 16-point performance was quite inefficient as he made just 7 of 18 shots.
There is a saying regarding the NBA playoffs that a series only begins when a team wins on the road. Although the Dallas Mavericks have always found a way to win Game 2 in the postseason so far, they find themselves in a 0-2 deficit for the first time in these playoffs. Fans are left wondering if there is any hope for them to defend homecourt for Games 3 and 4 in order to keep their chances of winning an NBA title alive.