NBA Finals 2024: Boston Celtics overcome Luka Doncic triple-double to take 2-0 series lead over Dallas Mavericks

The Boston Celtics took a 2-0 series lead in the NBA Finals after beating the Dallas Mavericks 105-98 in game two to go back-to-back on home court.

Jrue Holiday’s 26-point haul led the scoring for the Celtics, while Mavs star Luka Doncic produced the first NBA Finals triple-double in Dallas franchise history with 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.

It wasn’t enough to deny Boston, though, who showcased the depth of talent in their roster at TD Garden as they took another step towards an unprecedented 18th NBA Championship.

Derrick White shone in defence with a last-gasp block to go with his 18 points and three steals, Jayson Tatum provided 18 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds, and Jaylen Brown scored 21 with three steals.

"That’s why they are the No. 1 team in the NBA with the No. 1 record," said Mavs star Doncic. "They have a lot of great players. Basically, anybody can get off."

Doncic led the charge for Dallas but his scoring dried up in the final quarter, when he landed just three points as his team managed to cut a 14-point gap to just five with a little over a minute remaining.

But any chance of a dramatic late turnaround was stamped out by White when he sprinted down the court to block a P.J. Washington potential dunk, before Boston added an extra two to see out the win.

"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," bemoaned Boston coach Joe Mazzulla.

"Everybody that stepped on that court today made winning plays on both ends of the floor."

Doncic has the highest points-per-game average in the NBA this season with 33.9 and was among the nominees for the MVP award, losing out to Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.

The Slovenian scored 32 in game two, with the next-highest Mavs scorer being Washington with 17, after hitting 30 points in game one to next-best Washington’s 14.

But Dallas coach Jason Kidd insisted he isn’t dependent on his star man, who is nursing chest, knee and ankle issues.

"It’s not all on him. It’s a team," Kidd said. "He put us in a position. He was really good tonight.

"Unfortunately, we just couldn’t get over the hump. We’ve got to find someone to join Luka and [Kyrie Irving] in that scoring category."

The NBA Finals will move to Dallas for games three and four on Wednesday and Friday, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

But things look ominous for the Mavs: the Celtics haven’t lost a road game in the post-season and have won eight of their last nine NBA Finals, never being pushed to a seventh game in any of them.

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