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Celtics vs. Mavericks score: NBA Finals Game 2 takeaways as Jayson Tatum gets help, Luka Doncic doesn't

The Boston Celtics are now two wins away from their 18th NBA championship. Boston has a 2-0 lead against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals after a 105-98 win in Game 2 on Sunday night in Boston. Jrue Holiday had 26 points to lead the Celtics, who again had a balanced effort. Boston got at least 12 points from five different players, and held the lead for nearly the entire second half. The Mavericks made a late run, but Derrick White came up with a huge block with less than a minute remaining to keep Boston's two-possession lead intact.

Luka Doncic had a game-high 32 points to lead Dallas and finished with 11 assists and 11 rebounds for a triple-double. Doncic was downgraded to questionable ahead of Game 2 thanks to a chest contusion he suffered in Game 1. He had his torso heavily wrapped before the game, but played 42 minutes and shot 12-for-21 from the floor.

The Mavericks, who were previously 5-0 after a loss this season, struggled again from 3-point range. They hit just six 3-pointers on 26 attempts and also shot just 16-of-24 from the free-throw line. Boston wasn't much better from 3-point range (going 10-for-39), but the team hit 19 of its 20 free-throw attempts. Here are the biggest takeaways from Game 2:

Luka can't do this alone

Let's break down Luka Doncic's scoring by quarter:

  • First quarter: 13
  • Second quarter: 10
  • Third quarter: 6
  • Fourth quarter: 3

So what happened here? Well, in Game 1, Boston made the unconventional but effective decision to defend the Dallas centers with Jayson Tatum. This effectively pre-switched every Doncic pick-and-roll, taking away his favored lob passes. With Boston also taking away corner 3s, the Mavericks just couldn't pass their way into good shots. So Doncic decided to beat Boston as a scorer in Game 2. In the first half, he did so effectively.

In the second half, Boston finally relented and made the decision Minnesota made after getting "Luka'd" several times early in its own matchup with Dallas: to blitz him. The Celtics almost never double, but Doncic forced their hand. Of course, this is Doncic we're talking about here, so he was ready for that. He had three assists in the first two quarters, and then six in the third when he could beat doubles. The Celtics adjusted their strategy. They wanted Doncic to beat them as a scorer. When he proved that he could, they decided to make him beat them as a passer.

The problem? This strategy only works when the role players are making shots. Mavericks not named Doncic shot 2-of-17 from 3-point range. He doubled up all of his teammates in total points except for P.J. Washington. This turn of events must have been especially frustrating for the Oklahoma City Thunder to watch from home. They lost to the Mavericks because Washington and Derrick Jones Jr. made shots that they ordinarily missed. But once they reached the Finals, those two turned back into pumpkins.

That's what's going on here, more than anything. Doncic has proven ready for the Finals spotlight. He's dissecting Boston's defense as well as he did Minnesota's or Oklahoma City's. But his teammates haven't done their part. He can't beat the Celtics alone. 

Tatum never needs to do it alone

Jayson Tatum doesn't have to beat the Mavericks alone. Actually, he doesn't really need to come close. He shot 6-of-22 in Game 2. That's a field goal percentage of 27.27%. Doncic did that precisely once all season. The Mavericks won the game... but it was against the lowly Spurs. The Celtics just won a Finals game in which their best player could barely muster a passable batting average.

That's not to say Tatum was bad in Game 2. He dished out 12 assists. His ability to defend multiple positions helped hold the Celtics' scheme together. He did his fair share. That's what he's had to do all season. The Celtics are so good and so deep that Tatum is just never put in the position that Doncic is. He never has to win these games independently. He just has to figure out what the Celtics need on a given night and provide it.

This feels notable in light of Jason Kidd's comments in which called Jaylen Brown, not Tatum, the best player on the team. His argument (which, in itself, was really more of a ploy to try to get into Boston's head, but let's ignore that) was that Brown does "everything, and that's what your best player does."

Well, Tatum has done everything so far in this series. He's been an essential component of Boston's defense. He leads the Celtics in rebounds and assists. And perhaps most importantly, he doesn't feel the need to force the issue as a scorer when it isn't there. He's comfortable letting Jaylen Brown or Jrue Holiday or Kristaps Porzingis carry the Celtics' offense through the first two Finals games.

That may not make him Doncic's equal. He probably couldn't lead the Mavericks as far as Doncic has. But Tatum doesn't play for the Mavericks. He plays for the Celtics, and he has grown into the perfect best player for the best team in the league. He's so good because he lets his teammates flourish. Now that he has a roster capable of doing so, he's well on his way to winning his first championship.

Free throws, yet again, are the difference for Dallas

The Mavericks ranked 27th in the regular season in free-throw percentage. They entered Game 2 of the Finals dead last in the postseason by two full percentage points. They lost Game 4 of their second-round series against Oklahoma City due almost entirely to a historic difference in free-throw effectiveness. On Sunday, they once again blew a critical game because they couldn't make free throws.

The Celtics shot 19-of-20 at the line. The Mavericks shot 16-of-24. That's one Boston miss against eight for Dallas, or a difference of seven points at the line lost to misses. Well, look at the final score. Celtics 105, Mavericks 98. That's right. For all of the other issues Dallas had on offense, this game could have potentially gone to overtime if the Mavericks had just made their free throws.

I couldn't tell you why this otherwise very strong shooting team continues to struggle at the line. It is one of the most glaring defects on a Mavericks team that wiped away most of its flaws at the deadline, and on Sunday, it may have prevented them from stealing home-court advantage in Game 2 of the Finals. Teams that trail the Finals 2-0 are 5-28 in the series. Those are the odds Dallas is now facing, and all because it couldn't make the easiest shots in the game.

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FINAL: Celtics 105, Mavericks 98

The Mavericks hung around for nearly the entire 48 minutes of Game 2, but ultimately, their comeback fell short thanks to an incredible block by Derrick White on P.J. Washington. The Celtics hung on thanks to an incredible overall performance from their entire core. Four of their five starters scored at least 18 points, but nobody scored more than 26. Jayson Tatum struggled as a shooter, but made up for it with 12 assists. Dallas, meanwhile, could get nobody going aside from Luka Doncic. Now the Celtics have the Mavericks in a corner. Dallas has started all four of its playoff series on the road and has stolen home-court advantage in the first three of them. But Boston sent them back to Dallas down 0-2. It will take serious adjustments for the Mavericks to overcome the Celtics. Right now, Boston looks like the far better team.

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Derrick White with the game-saving block!

Dallas could have just cut the Boston lead to three with time to potentially tie the game afterward, but Derrick White flew in to block P.J. Washington at the rim. Jaylen Brown turned around and scored two of his own to give Boston a seven-point lead! NOW this game is over, and it took an incredible play by White to save it.

 

Perhaps we spoke too soon...

Oh boy. That and-one for Luka Doncic has the Boston lead down to five. The Mavericks might have a shot at this thing after all thanks to a 9-0 Dallas run.

 

Back-to-back 3's might've clinched it

The Mavericks hung around all night, but back-to-back 3-pointers there by Jrue Holiday and Derrick White have the lead up to 14 with 3:19 to play. It looks like the Celtics are about to take a 2-0 lead here in the NBA Finals as the series shifts back to Dallas.

 

Bold move of Jason Kidd to rest Doncic

In a normal game, it would seem unthinkable to pull Luka Doncic out of the game in the fourth quarter with the other team pulling away. Perhaps he had no choice with the injuries Doncic is playing through, and Kyrie Irving has kept the offense afloat, but still, given how much Doncic has done tonight, every possession the Mavericks play without him is dangerous.

 

Luka can't take advantage of the Pritchard matchup

Luka Doncic is hunting Payton Pritchard to start the fourth quarter, but the shots just aren't going in. Dallas is getting good looks against the rare mismatches Boston offers and they just aren't going in. With the Celtics struggling to shoot themselves, the Mavericks are missing out on a golden opportunity in this game.

 

Payton Pritchard with the back-breaker!

The Mavericks just got the score within six at the free-throw line going into the fourth quarter. Finally, they had a bit of momentum after Boston controlled the third quarter. And all of that momentum went down the drown on a single shot as Payton Pritchard drilled a half-court bomb at the buzzer to push Boston's lead up to nine.

 

It's been 5-on-1

Five of the six core Celtics are in double figures. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have 17 combined assists. It's coming from everywhere for Boston even if the Celtics haven't had a great shooting night. Meanwhile, Luka Doncic has 25 points. No other Maverick has more than 10. He has eight of their 14 assists. It's that simple. Dallas has the best player. Boston has the best team.

 

Celtics owner exchanges words with Luka

Luka Doncic has cooled off a bit in the second half (as have the Mavericks), but after a third-quarter bucket, he exchanged some words with Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck. Grousbeck apparently taunted Doncic earlier in the game, and then Luka responded after hitting a shot.

You can see Grousbeck here (sitting in black, right behind the "TD" in the TD Garden logo) saying something to Doncic after he makes a basket and runs back down the floor.

Doncic had 23 first-half points, but only has those two so far in the third quarter. The Celtics, meanwhile, have stretched their lead to 12 points with 15 minutes remaining. Doncic will need to get going again if Dallas is going to get back in this one.

 

Can Dallas find another way to get Luka going?

Luka Doncic was dominant early. He had 23 first-half points. But Boston has finally decided to send doubles at him, and as a result, he's looking to pass now instead of score. The problem is that his role players aren't taking advantage of the opportunities he creates. It's looking more and more like if the Mavericks are going to win this game, it's going to have to be with Doncic scoring 40 or more points no matter how he is getting covered.

 

Boston finally sending doubles at Luka

The Celtics send doubles onto ball-handlers in pick-and-roll less than any other team in the NBA, but after allowing 23 Luka Doncic points in the first half, Boston has finally conceded. They're blitzing Doncic, and that's unlocking him as a passer. He's up to seven assists now after going most of the first half with only one.

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Dallas letting Gafford post up

The Celtics have good reasons for letting Jayson Tatum defend Daniel Gafford. The goal is to pre-switch Luka Doncic pick-and-rolls, but the Mavericks are now turning around and saying, "ok, fine, we'll just post up our centers." That's a low-value strategy over a sustained period, but it can certainly work in small doses.

 

Halftime: Celtics 54, Mavericks 51

Luka Doncic has 23 through two quarters, but the Celtics, despite shooting 3-of-15 from 3-point range, still lead by three going into the locker rooms thanks to some stellar defense on everyone else and a great half out of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. Doncic can maintain this scoring pace, but the Mavericks can't expect Boston to keep shooting this poorly. The role players are going to have to step up for Dallas if the Mavericks are going to tie this series tonight.

 

Finally, Jayson Tatum is getting on track

A one-for-eight start for Jayson Tatum is one of the biggest reasons Dallas has been able to stay in this game so far, but and and-one finally seems to have woken him up. It's been a slow overall Final thus far for Tatum, who also struggled in the 2022 Finals against the Warriors. The Celtics are going to need to get him going if they want to put this series away quickly.

 

Not much Gafford so far tonight

Just something to keep an eye on. For the first time this postseason, Dallas has really started to move away from the two-headed center monster of Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford. Now that Maxi Kleber has gotten healthy, Dallas seems much more comfortable splitting the majority of the center minutes between Lively and Maxi Kleber. Gafford started, but it has mostly been Lively and Kleber ever since. They have seemingly decided to emphasize spacing so Luka Doncic could function as a scorer rather than playing all of their minutes with lob threats that Boston is taking away anyway.

 

Mavericks killing themselves at the line again

Free throws have been an issue for Dallas all season. They have cost them playoff games, such as their Game 4 loss to Oklahoma City. Well, the Mavericks are now 4-of-10 from the line tonight, leaving six huge points on the table. This game is too close for Dallas to keep giving away those points.

 

Luka is on fire!

That's 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting thus far for Luka Doncic, and we've barely started the second quarter. Right now, Doncic is testing the Celtics in the same way he tested Minnesota. Boston does not like to send doubles. As the Timberwolves showed, that's really the only way to slow Doncic down. Can he get the Celtics to compromise their scheme defensively?

 

Dallas wins the first quarter

The Celtics missed their first eight 3-point attempts in Game 2, and were it not for an Al Horford triple at the end of the first quarter, they would have gone the whole first frame without one for the first time all season. That shooting problem has Dallas in front, 28-25, but the Mavericks are a disappointing 4-of-9 from the line thus far. This lead could and should be bigger.

 

A tale of two first quarters

The Celtics made seven 3-pointers in the first quarter of Game 1. They've made none so far in Game 2. This is where the Celtics have been vulnerable in the past. They're unbeatable when the 3's are going in. They can get a bit stagnant when they aren't. Kristaps Porzingis is their theoretical solution to that. They're going to have to either look to him in mid-range against mismatches or intentionally attack the basket if Dallas keeps trying to defend him with centers.

 

Dereck Lively defending Kristaps Porzingis early

Just something to watch here from a matchup perspective: Dereck Lively is defending Kristaps Porzingis on the perimeter. This is a dangerous approach for Dallas, as it means their center is going to be very far away from the basket, opening up the rim for the Celtics to attack. However, Porzingis hit so many mid-range jumpers against mismatched, smaller defenders in Game 1 that the Mavericks seemingly had no choice.

 

Dallas loses its challenge in the first quarter

Tough break for the Mavericks as Jason Kidd challenges that foul on P.J. Washington. The challenge is unsuccessful, but more importantly, it was a low-value challenge to begin with. The Celtics would have had imminent possession, it came against a player that doesn't tend to foul much, and of course, it was in the first quarter. All in all, it was a bad way for the Mavericks to lose their lone challenge for the night.

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Luka Doncic functioning as a scorer early on

Luka Doncic only had one assist in Game 1, and Boston's game-plan was the reason why. With Jayson Tatum defending centers, the Celtics were essentially pre-switching every Doncic pick-and-roll to take away lobs. So Doncic is rolling with that, and instead of looking to pass, he's playing to score early on. He's made three of his first four shots for six quick points.

 

Kyrie drawing predictable early boos

Kyrie Irving said that he expected Celtics fans to be a bit louder in Game 1. Well, they've come out and booed him voraciously to open Game 2. If Irving wanted more noise, he's certainly getting it so far in Game 2. Of course, the Celtics putting that quote on the jumbotron before the game probably helped.

 

Meanwhile, on the Celtics jumbotron...

 

Celtics vs. Mavericks Game 2 info

We're about to tip-off in Beantown. Here's what to know.

Time: 8 p.m. ET | Date: Sunday, June 9
Location: TD Garden -- Boston
TV channel: ABC | Live streamfubo (try for free) 

USATSI
 

Luka playing Game 2

Unsurprisingly, Luka Doncic will be playing Game 2. He was listed as questionable this afternoon with three different injuries (chest contusion, right knee sprain and left ankle soreness. Luka has dealt with the knee sprain and ankle soreness throughout the postseason but has not missed a game. Sunday is no exception.

 

Best bets for tonight's Game 2

CBS Sports' Sam Quinn has a slate of best bets for tonight. Check them out:

Where to watch Celtics vs. Mavericks: TV coverage, channel, time, NBA Finals live stream, Game 2 prediction
Sam Quinn
 

Celtics respond to Kidd's comments

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd made some headlines between Games 1 and 2 by referring to Jaylen Brown -- not First-Team All-NBA selection Jayson Tatum -- as the Celtics' best player. The Celtics responded, but refused to add any fuel to the fire.

"This is a team sport. We understand that. We wouldn't be here if we didn't have JB on our team, and we could say that for a lot of guys. We all played a part in getting to where we're at. We understand that people try to drive a wedge between us. It's a smart thing to do, or try to do, but we've been in this position for many years with guys trying to divide us, and say that one of us should be traded, that one's better than the other. It's not our first time at the rodeo."

Here's more:

NBA Finals: Jayson Tatum and Co. respond after Jason Kidd reveals who he thinks is the best player on Celtics
Sam Quinn
 

Mavs need more from Kyrie

It was not a great night for Kyrie Irving on Thursday. He posted just 12 points in the Mavericks' Game 1 loss. It extended his personal losing streak to 11 in a row against his former team. He also called out the fans in Boston for not being "louder." Can Irving pick it up and Game 2 and quiet those fans? Dallas needs him to step up.

2024 NBA Finals: Kyrie Irving holds the keys to Game 2, and the Mavericks can't survive another stinker
Brad Botkin
 

Can Mavs solve their math problem?

The Mavericks have a problem against the Celtics. More specifically, they have a math problem. Boston showed in Game 1 that the team is content to play Luka Doncic 1-on-1 and not leave Dallas' shooters open on the perimeter.  The result was the Celtics making nine more 3-pointers in Game 1. Here's more from James Herbert:

Mavericks vs. Celtics: How Luka Doncic and Dallas can solve math problem after blowout loss to open NBA Finals
James Herbert
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