Doncic shows leadership in disappointing loss.

The Dallas Mavericks lost 98-105 to the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of the 2023-2024 NBA Finals on Tuesday night at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The loss sends Dallas home with a crushing 0-2 series deficit.

It was a game of overwhelming power differential. The Mavs were unable to match Boston’s stifling defense throughout the game, and they were beaten helplessly. It was a miracle that the score was only seven points.

In that situation, Dallas ace Luka Doncic shined alone. Doncic started to lead the Dallas offense from the beginning of the game. Boston rotated Jaylen Brown and Jrue Halladay 스포츠토토존 to guard Doncic.

Doncic used his size and dribbling skills to get inside and outside to score. Boston’s defense was great, but they couldn’t stop Doncic.

Doncic also had great vision, not only for his own scoring, but also for his teammates. On the night, Doncic had 11 assists, and his passing skills were such that his 11 assists were not a small number. If his teammates had a higher shooting percentage, Doncic’s assist total would have been much higher.

Doncic was dominant in his ace matchup with Jayson Tatum. However, he was outplayed by his teammates. Nevertheless, in his postgame interview, Doncic blamed himself, not his teammates.

“I think my turnovers and missed free throws cost us the game,” Doncic said. I had to do better in those two categories,” he said.

Doncic committed eight turnovers on the day and made just 4 of 8 free throws for a 50 percent clip. A disappointing performance, to be sure. But no one can blame Doncic. Without him, Dallas would have been a disaster.

Interviews like this can be very encouraging for his teammates. The team”s ace is not blaming others and is determined. Now it’s up to his Dallas teammates to respond.

After two straight losses on the road, can Dallas bounce back at home? Game 3 between the two teams will be played in Dallas on the 13th.