The Dallas Mavericks will play the Boston Celtics Sunday at 7 p.m. in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, where they will try to avoid a costly 0-2 series deficit.
Dallas is coming off a difficult 107-89 loss in Game 1, in which they shot 41.7% from the field and 25.9% from the three-point line. The Celtics finished the game with the same number of blocks as the Mavericks had assists.
Despite struggling on multiple key aspects, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said after Game 1 that he was not concerned with the loss because there was “no panic with this group.”
“We didn’t play well in Game 1. Give credit to Boston; they did. But it’s a series. We don’t just look or capitalize on just one game. We’ve lost Game 1 a lot of times, and we’ve responded. We believe that we can respond in Game 2,” Kidd said, per ESPN.
Similar comments from Kidd are not uncommon. He is now 1-6 in Game 1s during the NBA Playoffs since arriving as the Mavericks’ coach in 2021. He also boasts an impressive 4-2 in the second game of a series, per Statmuse.
The Mavericks have been led in this postseason by guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Doncic has led the team in nearly every statistical category during this playoff run, averaging 28.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists, and 1.7 steals over 18 games.
Irving, who struggled to remain efficient in Game 1, has averaged 22.2 points while shooting 47.5% from the field and an impressive 40.2% from the three-point line.
Dallas will enter Game 2 as the road team, a role the team has excelled in throughout this playoff run.
The Mavericks finished with a postseason record of 7-3 while playing on the road, shooting slightly better from all areas of the court.
However, Dallas will face a Boston team that has been very good on its home court, winning seven of its nine games and significantly improving its field goal and three-point percentage.
The only significant player listed on the Mavericks’ injury report leading into Game 2 is Doncic, who is dealing with injuries to his knee and ankle but is listed as probable for suiting up.
Boston does not currently have any players listed on the injury report and will be at full strength in Game 2.
A win on June 9 would tie the series up 1-1 before the teams travel to Dallas for the first time this series for Games 3 and 4.
