BOSTON — The Mavericks had chances to tie the NBA Finals going home. An early lead. A hot Luka Dončić start. More Jayson Tatum cold shooting. And they squandered opportunities through Game 2 in Boston. PJ Washington committed a lane violation on a Jaylen Brown free throw miss in the second, then committed a transition take foul in the third. Dončić let Tatum drive by him to shake his struggles. Josh Green, Maxi Kleber, Derrick Jones Jr. and Washington shot 1-for-12 from three, mostly ignored by Boston’s defense.
But the one that hurt worst was, within six points at the end of the third and three seconds left on the clock for Boston to go full court, three Mavericks defenders at half court let Payton Pritchard step into a half court three. Pritchard checked himself into the game to take the shot, Brown said.
The Celtics had started 5-for-29 from three. That made it 6-for-30 — and 2-0.
“The play of the game,” Mazzulla called it. “You see guys around the league pass up on that shot or fake like they want to take it so that their numbers don’t get messed up and he takes pride in taking that and that’s winning basketball … that should’ve been the first question is the ability of everybody on our team to do different things that lead to winning. I’m really tired about playing one guy.”
Dallas rallied in the fourth to within one Washington fast break from trailing by one possession with 51 seconds remaining. The Mavs rattled off a 9-0 run after trailing by 14 points with 3:34 remaining, but Derrick White blocked Washington alongside Brown, Brown finished in transition the other way to reach 21 points while Tatum navigated 6-for-22 shooting struggles to post 18 points, nine rebounds and 12 assists in the 105-98 win.
The start of Game 2 closely resembled the first for Jayson Tatum, who shot 2-for-10 into halftime and had to lean on his passing. The Mavs started hotter, Luka Dončić following orders and taking the layups, or rather the flip-shot fadeaways and floaters that Tatum mostly challenged. Boston used Tatum as the switch defender off the screener often, keeping him busy through another slow start from the field.
Dallas led 7-2 early, PJ Washington hitting the only three-point attempt by either team through the first four minutes. Boston eventually got nine off and missed eight of them, finishing the half 3-for-15 from deep and improbably leading. Both teams found their opportunities inside the line, the Celtics hitting all 13 free throw attempts and the Mavs riding Dončić’s 9-for-13 start. They even got him off the ball, Kyrie Irving starting better at 5-for-10 and getting his running mate a rare open look at a corner three.
“I think tonight we weren’t as crisp defensively,” Brown said. “There were a lot of miscommunications out there. A lot of stuff that we gave up that we didn’t give up in the first game. So I think we gotta be better in that regard. I just think our effort has been key, just the mentality, picking a guy up full court and stuff like that just wears on them over time.”
Dončić played the game after getting downgraded to questionable earlier in the afternoon with a thoracic contusion that added to his list of lower body injuries he entered the series with. Boston began to trap him as the night progressed and forced him into some sloppy turnovers. Kristaps Porzingis got back into his mid-range bag in a second straight appearance back from injury off the bench, drawing a foul on Jones Jr. when the wing tried to drive him off the line in the pick-and-pop. He stepped into the mid-range area and caught Jones Jr. off-balance before beating Kleber on a post fadeaway plays later.
The Celtics saw the Mavs selling out to take the three away and Jrue Holiday began finding baseline cutting space that saved Boston in the first half. He scored 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting through the first two quarters. Boston, in a game where the team finished 25.6% from three. The Celtics had lost 3-of-4 games where they finished below 26% from deep during the regular season.
“It’s not all about scoring,” Tatum said. “I can be the guy rebounding, getting assists and drawing attention. When I have the ball in certain spots, I draw so much attention. I’m not always gonna be the guy to get the shot, but sometimes, sacrificing, being in those spots to make the play where we get the best shot possible, knowing what they want to take away in their schemes. Being the guy in different ways. Maybe you don’t score all the points, but you do all the things to put you in the best position to win … I’ve been here before and we didn’t win. We’re so close to what we’re trying to accomplish. Why would I let me ego or my need to score all the points get in the way of that?”
Boston continued its success on the margins into the third, Holiday grabbing a miss and feeding Tatum inside for a three-point lead early in the third. Brown missed a pair of threes where it looked like Mavs defenders knocked him down, and despite no call, he and Tatum embraced after knocking the ball out-of-bounds to stall a Dallas possession. The Celtics began trapping Dončić and Irving more often after halftime, Tatum trailing a Dončić pick-and-pop to grab a steal. Brown caught an aimless Dončić pass several possessions later, and Holiday finished in the other direction on the way to a 10-2 run that broke a 61-61 tie.
Tatum scored his 10th assist with another dump-off to Holiday and Boston maintained a double-digit lead into the fourth, but Porzingis landed awkwardly chasing an offensive rebound midway through the quarter. He later said it wasn’t related to his previous injury. It still appeared to severely hamper his movement.
Irving took advantage by creating back-to-back scores that reduced the lead to single-digits. A devastating Dončić turnover soon derailed that momentum, Dončić watching as Holiday pulled up for the first of back-to-back threes that should’ve secured victory. Dallas didn’t go away though, and as the series shifts home for them, with all eyes again on Porzingis’ health, Irving was visible flashing a five to the crowd while walking off the floor. All the Mavs can hope for after losing a game where Boston played far from its best.
“I’ll die out there,” Porzingis told CLNS Media in the locker room. “I just kept going. Obviously, I was a little bit limited, so the smart thing was to get Al out there and close out the game.”
