DALLAS — Jalen Brunson has gone nuclear tonight. And that is reason #1, #2, #3, and #46 why the Mavs are in this basketball game.
Game 2 has looked quite a bit like Game 1, between the Dallas Mavericks and the Utah Jazz. A gritty performance, despite the absence of Luka Doncic, to hang with the Jazz all game.
Doncic is not playing in tonight's Game 2, as was expected. He was listed as doubtful for the second straight game, still recuperating from his strained left calf. Head coach Jason Kidd did, however, say that Doncic is progressing. With still 72 hours until Game 3 in Utah, the progress that Doncic has shown is encouraging for later in the series. Thursday should be interesting.
But the Mavs got an incredibly hot start from point guard Jalen Brunson, who was doing his best Chris Paul impersonation through the first 8 minutes of the basketball game. He his 6 of his first 7 shots, and scored 15 of Dallas' first 18 points. His early thrust helped Dallas build a lead as large as eight in the opening minutes of the game, at 14-6.
Brunson wasn't quite as hot in the second quarter, but continued to make plays for Dallas. He hit four of his first six three point attempts, to help Dallas edge back in front at various points in the period, as the lead exchanged hands multiple times. For a player who figures to make a lot of money this summer -- be it from Dallas or someone else -- he just made himself a good bit more.
And late in the second quarter, Spencer Dinwiddie got in on the act. The newest Mav knocked down a high-arcing floater and a big three-pointer to tie the game at 48.
But the Jazz would end the half on a 7-0 run, including a three pointer from Donovan Mitchell, to take a 55-48 lead at the break. Mitchell was easily the most dangerous Utah player, matching Brunson's 21 first half points. Since the halfway point of Game 1, Mitchell has scored 52 points in the last four quarters of this series.
