Boston Celtics take 2-0 series lead in NBA Finals after Game 2 win over Dallas Mavericks
By Jacob Lev, CNN
(CNN) — The Boston Celtics have seized a 2-0 series lead in the NBA Finals after a Game 2 win over the Dallas Mavericks Sunday night.
Boston was led to its 105-98 victory by guard Jrue Holiday, who had 26 points on 11 for 14 shooting.
A back-and-forth first quarter was led by Mavericks star Luka Doncic, who was earlier listed as questionable to play but scored 15 points as the Mavs eked out a 28-25 lead after the quarter.
After struggling offensively initially, Boston found some rhythm in the second quarter to take a slim 54-51 lead heading into halftime.
The Celtics’ offense finally broke out behind Jayson Tatum’s big third quarter. The 26-year-old All-Star scored six of Boston’s 13 points through the quarter’s halfway point. The team then went on a 10-0 run to give the Celtics its largest lead of the game.
Guard Payton Pritchard put an exclamation point on the team’s good play, knocking down a buzzer-beater three to finish with an 84-73 lead heading into the final quarter.
On a night when Boston struggled with their three-point shot, guard Derrick White was the only Celtics player to hit more than two including a big one to extend the lead to 103-89 with just over three minutes left in the game.
However, the Mavericks came crawling back.
Led by Doncic, Dallas went on a 9-0 run to cut the lead to just five with a little over a minute to play.
After some clutch defensive plays at both ends to keep it a two-possession game, Boston forward Jaylen Brown made a driving layup to seal the game.
Doncic would register a triple-double, finishing with 32 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds.
Holiday said after the game that it “feels great” going into Game 3 with the series lead but insisted “it’s not over.”
“Whatever it takes, as long as it takes,” Holiday told the ABC broadcast.
Game 3 is scheduled for Wednesday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas at 8:30 p.m. ET.
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