NBA Finals: Jrue Holiday takes center stage as Celtics fend off late Mavericks rally for 2-0 series lead

Final score is Boston 105, Dallas 98 as the Celtics take the 2-0 series lead.

Huge block from Derrick White to keep Boston's lead.

Derrick White has struggled with his shot throughout these playoffs, but he's hit four huge 3s on a night when no other Boston player has connected on more than two from distance. After a sloppy turnover from Dallas, the Celtics are in clear position up 103-89 with 3:32 to play.

Kristaps Porzingis, playing his second game since missing more than a month with a right soleus strain, does not look like himself in the second half. He briefly retreated to the locker room before returning to the bench. Upon reentering the game, he was moving gingerly on the court. The Celtics subbed him out in favor of Al Horford in the final minutes of the game. Something to monitor as the series continues.

Kristaps Porzingis is either hurt or tired. Not moving with nearly the same fluidity as he was in the first half.

Kyrie has really taken the keys to Dallas' creation here in the fourth. He's got six points, he's creating for others. Just found Daniel Gafford in transition for what marks the Mavs' first lob to a big man all series with 4:40 left in the fourth quarter of Game 2.

Credit to P.J. Washington for following his latest miss, but he's now 0-of-4 from deep after hitting his first triple. His lack of shooting prowess has sapped an entire dimension from Dallas' offense.

A quick breather for Luka Doncic. Dallas got four points from Kyrie before the Celtics called timeout, and Doncic is back after resting for roughly a minute.

The Mavs' struggles from the foul line are still creating a huge differential in Boston's favor. The Celtics are 17-of-18 from the line, and after Daniel Gafford goes 1-of-2, Dallas is just 11-of-19 and facing a nine-point deficit.

These first few minutes of the fourth quarter are the first that have felt like they've had any rhyhthm or flow for the whole game.

Dereck Lively with a huge two-handed dunk out of a pick-and-roll from Luka. That was their most effective P-n-R of the series so far.

Dallas is getting nothing from its supporting cast. Mavericks not named Luka Doncic or Kyrie Irving started 2-for-13 from the field and finished the opening half with 18 points on 20 shots. Meanwhile, Boston's "others" are carrying a slow start from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who have combined for 13 points on 14 shots in the first half. Everyone else on the Celtics has scored 41 points on 25 shots. Boston leads at the break, 54-51.

Tatum has been exceptional as a willing passer. Up to 8 assists. He's attacking closeouts with the goal of creating for others and he's generated almost half of Boston's points even with scoring just 5 of his own.

Tatum isn’t scoring, that and-1 was almost an exasperated one; but he does have seven assists in the first half. Maybe that’s a record for him.

Jrue Holiday has been massive to keep Boston on pace with Dallas' offense. Back cuts, powerful drives, an array of floaters. He's the Celtics' leading scorer with 14 points.

Some huge contributions from Derrick Jones Jr. An offensive rebound and assist to cutting Josh Green, finishes a sweet no-look pass from Luka, then steals a Tatum pass and finishes an and-1 to draw Tatum's second foul.

Luka has had every shot type in his bag fall tonight ... except his free throws as he's 2-of-5 from the line. We're seeing him get plenty of work in postups that we haven't really seen from him this postseason, but Doncic has absolutely relied on in past playoffs.

Jaylen Brown, who's mic'd up for the night, has some encouragement for his team:

"Whatever you do, do it with confidence," Brown said. "Embrace the moment. Breathe into it."

Dante Exum starts the second quarter for Dallas with Luka and Kyrie both on the floor. Exum only played in garbage time in Game 1, but this three-guard lineup was one of the Mavs' best during the regular season.

And just like Game 1, Jayson Tatum is scoreless, this time for the entire first quarter. He's 0-of-4 from the floor with 1 assist.

Dončić isn't letting his injuries slow him down, getting in a tricky one-legged jumper. He leads the Mavs with 15 points in the first quarter.

The Celtics should feel lucky to be down 3. They’re forcing turnovers and the Mavs are missing at the FT line (4-of-9). By the way, Jayson Tatum is 0-4 from the floor

After hitting seven 3-pointers and taking a 17-point lead in the opening quarter of Game 1, the Celtics missed their first eight attempts from distance in Game 2 and trail after one, 28-25. Each member of Boston's rotation missed at least one 3-point attempt before Al Horford broke the streak with five seconds left in the first frame.

Kyrie just has a way of nailing twisting layups that puncture a road crowd. Two big ones to give Dallas the lead after one quarter.

There's been a very light whistle so far in this one. Nine fouls (5 on Dallas, 4 on Boston) ha generated 14 total free throws. And Boston is 10-of-10 from the line.

Jrue Holiday has spent the last few possessions on Luka, but he draws his second foul. Before Tatum went to the bench, the Celtics had their All-NBA superstar guarding Lively, so that Tatum and Brown could easily switch the Doncic assignment.

Dallas is trying to alleviate pressure on Luka by having someone else bring up the ball. You can’t tell he’s hurt when he’s dancing, but Luka is laboring a bit.

Luka Dončić was seen heavily wrapped up during pregame. Per the Mavericks, Dončić is suffering from a chest injury, right knee sprain and left ankle soreness going into the game, but is toughing it out for the Finals.

After hardly looking to shoot in Game 1, Maxi Kleber doesn't hesitate to fire on his first look in Game 2. His first was a total airball, short. His second attempt clanked off the rim on the next possession. The Mavericks need his effectiveness from distance — especially in two-big lineups like this current Dallas group with him and Dereck Lively.

Not a terrific challenge from Jason Kidd. P.J. Washington clearly made contact with Derrick White, and now the Mavs are down a timeout.

Kyrie enjoyed a super long warmup tonight, going through his spinning layup package and bombing threes for almost 30 minutes. Most guys' on-court work takes about 15. It's showing so far as he's been aggressive from the jump for five of Dallas' first 13 points as the Celtics call timeout with 8:18 remaining in the first.

On several of Boston's first few half-court possessions, Jayson Tatum has intentionally hunted Luka Doncic on switches. The Celtics want to wear down the Mavs superstar.

The boo birds sound even louder for Kyrie Irving tonight than on Thursday, but he's on the board with his first bucket on a driving layup at 11:11 of the first.

The crowd in Boston for Game 2 feels a bit more lubed up than in Game 1. When the Jumbotron flashed Kyrie Irving's quote, "I thought it would be a little louder in here," fans responded with a loud "Kyrie sucks!" chant — roughly half an hour before tipoff. And once again, Kristaps Porzingis made a WWE-style entrance, roughly five minutes after his teammates took the floor, igniting another ovation. TD Garden is about to pop off.