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| On Sunday, June 9, 2024, in Boston, during the first half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Dallas Mavericks player Kyrie Irving, front left, drives to the basket past Boston Celtics forward Sam Hauser, second from right. |
Boston (AP) — Leader in scoring was Jrue Holiday. Derrick White included a block for a chase-down. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum also contributed with their passing and defence.
The Mavericks don't need to worry about identifying Boston's top player anymore. The Celtics are attempting to win a record 18th NBA title, and everyone is helping.
With Holiday scoring 26 points and pulling down 11 rebounds, White raced down the court to smother the final opportunity for the Mavericks, and Boston defeated Dallas 105-98 on Sunday night to grab a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals.
Tatum added 12 assists, 9 rebounds, and 18 points to make up for a poor shooting performance. Payton Pritchard's lone basket of the game was a banked half-court shot that beat the third quarter buzzer and gave Boston an 83-74 advantage. Brown scored 21 points with three steals, White finished with 18 points and three steals.
Star player Luka Doncic of the Mavericks, who finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists for the first triple-double in Dallas franchise history in the NBA Finals, remarked, "That's why they are the No. 1 team in the NBA with the No. 1 record." "They have many excellent players." In essence, anyone can be released.
Less than two hours before the first tipoff of the playoffs, Doncic was doubtful to play, yet he recorded his tenth career triple-double. However, he only managed three points in the fourth quarter, making a three-point play with 1:15 remaining as Dallas narrowed a 14-point deficit to 103-98 with nine consecutive points.
Tatum's attempted dunk was stopped by Derrick Jones Jr., and White then raced down the court with Brown to stop P.J. Washington from making a layup. With 28 seconds remaining, Doncic missed a one-footed, running 3-point floater, which put an end to Dallas' final opportunity to rally after Brown converted a layup on the opposite end.
It's not all his fault. Regarding Doncic, who has been dealing with ailments to his knee, ankle, and chest, Dallas coach Jason Kidd stated, "It's a team." "He placed us in a situation. He was excellent tonight. Regretfully, we were unable to overcome the obstacle. Someone has to be added to Kyrie Irving and Luka in that scoring category.
Taking place in Dallas on Wednesday and Friday, Games 3 and 4 will see Boston's unbeaten road record this postseason. The Celtics have won the first eight NBA Finals and have never needed to go to a Game 7 in their history. This was their ninth consecutive opening-round victory.
Boston demonstrated why it doesn't matter a day after Kidd tried to incite conflict in the Celtics locker room by designating Brown as the team's top player rather than Tatum, an All-NBA first-team player. While making just two of twelve 3-point tries combined, the two All-Stars contributed in various ways to increase the box score.
Holiday stated, "The way they play together is sacred and unbreakable." "I like both of them, not just one of them. due to the fact that they are both superstars and are performing on the largest platform in the world.
Leading-ranked Boston managed just 12 points from a hobbled Kristaps Porzingis. The Celtics were 10 for 39 from long range overall; Tatum was 6 for 22 from the field and 1 of 7 from 3-point range.
Boston coach Joe Mazzulla expressed his frustration, saying, "I'm really tired of hearing about one guy or this guy or that guy and everybody trying to make it out to be anything other than Celtic basketball." "On both ends of the floor, every player who set foot on that court today made winning plays."
The Celtics missed their first eight long range shots on Sunday, in contrast to their 7–15 performance from 3-point range in the first quarter of their 107–89 triumph in Game 1. For the entire first quarter, Dallas was ahead.
Tatum started the game without scoring any points and had just five at the half, when he was still 0 for 3 from three-point range. When Pritchard banked in a half-court shot at the third-quarter buzzer, Boston was still just 5 for 30 from long range. This gave Boston an 83-74 advantage.
The audience, which had been booing and chanting indecent things at Irving for the majority of the prior period, became animated at that point. Irving's postgame statement from Game 1, in which he stated he expected the fans to be louder, was displayed on the scoreboard prior to the game.
The audience let forth a roar.
Irving, who finished with 16 points, has fallen short against the Celtics in 12 straight games.
He expressed his disappointment at not being able to take advantage of many more of his opportunities in the lane. "My teammates count on me to make a lot of baskets and lighten the load for the team as a whole, not just Luka."
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