BOSTON– Luka Doncic is racking up injuries and points in these NBA Finals.
But for the second game in a row, he didn’t get enough support from his Mavericks teammates. This time, on a night where the Boston Celtics did everything they could to give Dallas a chance to steal a game away from home.
Doncic made 12 of 21 shots and finished with 32 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds, recording his 10th career playoff triple-double and the first Finals triple-double in Mavericks history.
But his teammates shot 26 of 59 from the field on a night when Boston shot just 10 of 30 from 3-point range, and All-Star Jayson Tatum went 6 of 22 from the field. when Boston won Game 2 105-98.
All of this has resulted in a two-game deficit for the Mavericks as the best-of-seven series shifts to Dallas for Game 3 on Wednesday.
“Every game we lose is a lost opportunity for us,” Doncic said when asked if he felt the Mavs missed a chance to capitalize on a bad night for the Celtics. “At the end of the day, we have to make shots to win the game.”
It was the first loss in Game 2 of these playoffs for Dallas, which had won three in a row – all on the road. The Mavs now face the daunting task of beating a Boston team that has lost just twice this postseason in four of five games. The Celtics are 6-0 on the road this postseason.
Dallas struggled from both the 3-point line (6 of 26) and the free throw line (16 of 24). Doncic was 4 of 8 from the foul line and had eight of his team’s 15 turnovers.
“The little things, you know, we have to do the little things, and that’s part of the game,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “These are points we left on the scoreboard and we didn’t shoot free throws well tonight and we have to be better.”
Doncic started Game 2 after being listed as probable on Sunday morning with a sprained right knee and left ankle before being downgraded to questionable in the afternoon after a chest bruise was added to his list of illnesses.
He was cleared to play after going through his pregame warm-up routine. Doncic believes he suffered a chest injury while attacking in Game 1. During pregame introductions, Doncic wore an ice bandage on the side of his chest and knee.
“I always want to play,” Doncic said. “So throughout the day we did a lot of things to prepare for the game.”
That didn’t seem to bother him at first, as he scored six of the Mavericks’ first 11 points and Dallas raced out to a 13-6 first-quarter lead.
But his mobility seemed to be lacking occasionally. This appeared later in the opening period when Jaylen Brown pushed the ball up court on a counterattack and crossed Doncic before passing him for a two-handed dunk.
This didn’t slow Doncic down on the offensive end, where he continued to score points and verbally defend himself. back and forth with a Celtics fan sitting courtside after making consecutive shots.
What may be more concerning for Dallas’ hopes for the rest of the series is Kyrie Irving’s play.
After finishing with just 12 points in Game 1 – the second-lowest of his Finals career – Irving improved with 16 points on 7-of-18 shooting, with six assists and two turnovers. But 10 of his points came in the first half, again leaving Doncic on an island down the stretch.
“My teammates look to me to convert a lot of shots and lighten the load, not just for Luka, but for the entire team,” Irving said. “It’s on all of us, man. I’m sure if you listen to what everyone has to say, they’ll say they need to do better.”
More Mavericks players were more involved than in Game 1, with all five Mavericks starters reaching double figures. It was a small consolation for Doncic.
“At the end of the day, we have to make some more plays,” he said. “I think my turnovers and my missed free throws cost us the game. So I have to do much better in those two categories.”
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