BOSTON (AP) — Luka Doncic is racking up injuries and points in this 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 when the Boston Celtics did everything they could to give Dallas a chance to steal the game on the road.
Doncic hit on 12 of 21 shots and finished with 32 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds, the 10th playoff triple-double of his career and the first Finals triple-double in Mavericks history.
But his teammates made 26 of 59 shots from the field, while Boston made only 10 of 30 shots from the 3-point line, and All-Star Jayson Tatum made 6 of 22 shots from the field. Boston won Game 2 105-98,
All of this has left the Mavericks trailing by two games as Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is set to be played in Dallas on Wednesday.
“Every game we lose is a lost opportunity for us,” Doncic said when asked if he felt the Mavs missed an opportunity to take advantage of the Celtics’ poor performance. “At the end of the day, we have to make shots to win games.”
It was the first Game 2 loss of the playoffs for Dallas, which had won three games in a row — all on the road. The Mavs now face the daunting task of beating a Boston team that has lost just twice in four of five games this postseason. 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 shot 4 of 8 from the foul line and accounted for 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 the points we left on the board, and we didn’t hit free throws well tonight, and we have to be better.”
Dončić started Game 2 after being added to the probables’ list Sunday morning because of a sprained right knee and left ankle, but his status became questionable by the afternoon because of a chest injury.
He was cleared to play after going through a pregame warmup routine. Doncic believes he suffered a chest injury while taking a charge in Game 1. Doncic had ice packs on the side of his chest and knee during pregame introductions.
“I always want to play,” Doncic said. “So throughout the day we did a lot of things to get ready for the game.”
That didn’t bother him early, as he scored six of the Mavericks’ first 11 points and Dallas took a 13-6 lead in the first quarter.
But his mobility was lacking at times. That showed later in the opening period when Jaylen Brown carried the ball up the court on a fast break, crossed to Doncic and then outran him. two handed dunk,
This did not slow down Doncic’s offensive pace, where he kept scoring points and continued the verbal sparring. Back-and-forth with a Celtics fan Sitting on the edge of the court after hitting consecutive shots.
The most troubling thing for Dallas’ hopes for the rest of the series is the play of Kyrie Irving.
After scoring just 12 points in Game 1 — the second-lowest of his Finals career — Irving scored 16 points on 7 of 18 shooting with six assists and two turnovers. But 10 of his points came in the first half, which again left Doncic behind.
“My teammates expect me to alter a lot of shots and take the load off, not just on Luka, but on the whole team,” Irving said. “It’s on all of us, man. I’m sure if you listen to what everybody has to say, they’ll say they have to do something better.”
There were more Mavericks players involved than in Game 1, with all five Mavericks starters reaching double figures. That was small consolation for Doncic.
“Ultimately, we have to make some more shots,” he said. “I think my turnovers and my missed free throws hurt us in the game. So I have to do better in those two categories.”
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