BOSTON– Jrue Holiday led the scoring. Derrick White added a chase block. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown also contributed – with their passing and defense.
The Mavericks can stop worrying who is the best player in boston. Everyone is contributing to the Celtics’ quest for an unprecedented 18th NBA championship.
Holiday had 26 points and 11 rebounds, and White raced down the court to prevent the Mavericks’ last shot on Sunday night as Boston beat Dallas 105-98 to take a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals.
Tatum made up for a tough shooting night with 12 assists and nine rebounds for 18 points. Brown scored 21 with three steals, White had 18 points and three steals, and Payton Pritchard’s only basket of the game was a midfield slant to beat the third quarter buzzer and give Boston an 83-game lead. 74.
“That’s why they’re the No. 1 team in the NBA with the No. 1 record,” said Mavericks star Luka Doncic, who had 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists — the first NBA Finals triple-double. in the history of the Dallas franchise. “They have a lot of great players. Basically, anyone can leave.”
Doncic, who was listed as questionable for playing less than two hours before the opening game, had his 10th career playoff triple-double. But he scored just three points in the quarter, converting a three-point play with 1:15 left as Dallas scored nine in a row to cut a 14-point deficit to 103-98.
After Derrick Jones Jr. blocked Tatum’s dunk attempt White ran down the court, joining Brown in blocking PJ Washington’s potential dunk. Brown made a layup on the other end, and then Doncic missed a one-foot floater from 3-point range with 28 seconds left, ending Dallas’ last chance at a comeback.
“It’s not all his fault. It’s a team,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said of Doncic, who had been battling chest, knee and ankle injuries. “He put us in a position. He was very good tonight. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t get over the hump. We need to find someone to join Luka and (Kyrie Irving) in that scoring category.”
Games 3 and 4 are Wednesday and Friday in Dallas; Boston has not lost on the road this postseason. It was the ninth time the Celtics had won the opening doubleheader in the NBA Finals: They had won the previous eight and had never been forced into a Game 7 in any of them.
A day after Kidd tried to sow discord in the Celtics locker room by calling Brown — not Tatum, an NBA starter — the team’s best player, Boston showed why that doesn’t matter. The two All-Stars combined to make 2 of 12 3-point attempts, but filled the box score in other ways.
“The way they play together is sacred and something that cannot be broken,” Holiday said. “I don’t prefer one or the other, I prefer both. Because they are both superstars and they are showing it on the biggest stage in the world.”
Kristaps Porzingis limped to 12 points for top-seeded Boston. Tatum was 6-for-22 shooting and 1-for-7 from 3-point range; the Celtics were 10-for-39 from long range overall.
“I’m really tired of hearing about this guy or this guy or that guy and everyone trying to make it something other than Celtic basketball,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said. “Everyone who stepped on that court today made game-winning plays on both ends of the court.”
Unlike the 107-89 victory in Game 1when Boston went 7-for-15 from 3-point range in the first quarter To take a 17-point lead, the Celtics missed their first eight long-range attempts on Sunday. Dallas led the entire first quarter.
Tatum didn’t score in the first and had just five by halftime when he was still 0-for-3 from 3-point range. Boston was still just 5 of 30 from long range when Pritchard hit a half-court shot at the third quarter buzzer to give Boston an 83-74 lead.
This excited the crowd, which had previously spent most of its time serenading Irving with boos – and semi-vulgar chants. Before the game, the scoreboard showed Irving’s postgame quote from Game 1, where he said he thought the crowd would make more noise.
The fans roared.
Irving, who scored 16 points, has lost 12 consecutive games against the Celtics.
“I’m a little disappointed that I’m not able to convert a lot more opportunities on the track,” he said. “My teammates look to me to convert a lot of shots and lessen the load not only on Luka, but on the entire team.”
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