Celtics defy tough shootout and win Game 2 of NBA Finals

Ironically, the most difficult three-point attempt of all – a deflected shot by Payton Pritchard as the third quarter siren sounded, the backup guard's only shot of the night – lightened the mood on a tense night and allowed Boston to bring home the win in the final quarter.

“The play of the game was Payton’s throw at the end of the quarter,” coach Joe Mazzulla said. “You see guys all over the league miss that throw or pretend to make it so their [shooting] You can't mess up the numbers. He takes pride in doing that. That's winning basketball.”

Celtics guard Derrick White thwarted a late Mavericks comeback attempt by blocking PJ Washington at the basket in the final minute, and Jaylen Brown attacked the basket for a stab-in with 29.8 seconds left. Boston improved its record to 5-0 in games that included just five points in the final five minutes this postseason.

“I was immersed earlier [in the game]”, said White. “Because I am not afraid of getting a dunk, I can [a block] that others might not understand. I believed in my abilities.”

Boston's easy win in Game 1 was a distant memory by the time Game 2 kicked off. The Celtics missed their first eight three-point attempts and came up empty from the outside until Al Horford finally hit a shot from the left corner just before the end of the first quarter. Their slow start was made worse by Jayson Tatum's indecision: The five-time All-Star spent most of the early goings-on in his own head, turning down open scoring opportunities in favor of passing the ball to his teammates.

But the Celtics managed to take a 64-61 lead into halftime because the Mavericks couldn't conjure up enough help for Luka Doncic. The Slovenian star scored 32 points, along with 11 rebounds and 11 assists, but his teammates combined to make just 2 of 17 three-pointers. Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving left a lot to be desired for the second straight game, finishing with 16 points on 7 of 18 shooting while being constantly booed by the TD Garden crowd.

After being listed as questionable on the pregame injury report with a chest contusion, Doncic arrived late for warmups and wore a bandage around his chest before kickoff. Despite leading the Mavericks to Game 2 victories in their last three series and driving mid-range offense, Doncic was unable to maintain his torrid scoring pace, scoring just nine points in the second half.

“I was fine [physically]”, he said. “We need to make more shots. I think my turnovers and missed free throws cost us the game. I need to get a lot better in those two categories.”

The Celtics hit 10 of 39 (25.6 percent) three-pointers, their second-worst three-point shooting of the playoffs. Tatum scored 18 points on 6 of 22 shooting, but also dished out 12 assists and regularly found Jrue Holiday to finish baskets to help Boston's fickle offense. Holiday was the Celtics' best player with 26 points and 11 rebounds, and he hit a three-pointer and grabbed a key offensive rebound to set up a three-pointer by White on two consecutive crunch-time possessions.

“[Tatum] was to get in the zone, get double coverage, make the right plays and find me,” Holiday said. “He has that vision as a playmaker.”

While all five Dallas starters scored in double figures, the second unit combined for just nine points. Coach Jason Kidd relied on reserve players Maxi Kleber and Dante Exum, but neither could make an impact. Kleber, who missed much of Dallas' postseason with a shoulder injury, missed all four of his shots, leaving Kidd's frontcourt rotation underperforming.

The series moves to the American Airlines Center in Dallas for Game 3 on Wednesday. Boston is in full control, knowing it has protected its home court — winning a beautiful Game 1 and an ugly Game 2 — without seeing a standout performance from Tatum. The Mavericks' to-do list remains the same: Irving needs to get on track, Washington needs to find its range and the backups need to contribute.

The Celtics will breathe a sigh of relief after losing Game 2 in the first round to being outscored by Miami, who excelled from long range. They then lost Game 2 in the second round to Cleveland after their worst long range performance of this playoff run. This time, they made sure the three-point line didn't decide the game by keeping their cool and continuing to keep the Mavericks' supporting cast in check.