DALLAS — As the Celtics have taken the 2-0 series lead over the Mavericks in the NBA Finals, they’ve been able to lean on their defense. Sure, Luka Doncic has gotten his numbers, but that’s natural considering he’s one of the best players in the league.
But on the other hand, the Mavs haven’t quite been able to score in bunches against the Celtics. They put up 89 points in Game 1 then followed that up with 98 points in Game 2, so they have yet to clear the 100-point mark in either game. The Mavs also have only one quarter of eight where they’ve scored more than 25 points. Despite that, Mavs starter P.J. Washington had an interesting take on their scoring woes.
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“We’re just missing open looks,” Washington said. “I don’t think it’s because of their defense. Sometimes they’re late shot clock or bad shots. Sometimes they’ll go in and we just have to take better ones and shoot them with confidence.”
Now, there’s some truth in that the Mavs haven’t been able to knock down many 3-pointers. They’re shooting just 13-for-53 (24.5%) on 3-pointers this series with a bulk of that coming from Doncic. The star has shot 8-for-21 from behind the arc, meaning his teammates have gone 5-for-32.
Notably, no other Mavs player has made more than one 3-pointer over the course of those two games. Mavs guard Kyrie Irving has gone just 0-for-8 over the two games as he’s struggled against the C’s defense. Washington has gone 1-for-8 from deep. So the Mavs will look to knock down some of those 3s that Washington mentioned.
“It’s just taking good shots, taking open ones,” Washington said. “Obviously, we haven’t been making shots. We feel pretty good coming home. It’s all about just making open ones, taking open ones. We feel good about taking them, so I think guys are in good spirits.”
