Game 2 provided the Mavericks with a huge chance.

They could have flown back to Dallas with the home-court advantage in the NBA Finals. They could have tied the title series at a game apiece. They could have put the heavily favored Celtics into what would have been their most precarious spot of the season.

Instead, they’re down 2-0 — and now the odds of pulling this off just got a whole lot longer.

They missed eight free throws, gave up 21 points off turnovers, didn’t take advantage of an uncharacteristic 3-point clankfest from the Celtics – 10 for 39 — plus wasted another big effort from Luka Doncic on a night where he battled through ankle, rib and knee issues and still did whatever he wanted. They were better than they were in Game 1. That said, they still weren’t good enough. Final score: Celtics 105, Mavericks 98, and the Celtics are now two wins away from what would be their record-setting 18th NBA championship.

“At the end of the day, they are better than all the teams we’ve played,” the Mavericks’ PJ Washington said. “It’s the finals, and we’ve just got to be better. ... Their record says that they have been the best team all year. They have two superstars, they have a lot of great role players and they play team ball. So, we’ve just got to be better.”

Or else.

The only path for the Mavericks to capture this title now is to win four of the next five games, against a team that hasn’t come close to losing four games in a five-game stretch at any point this season. The Celtics are 14-2 in these playoffs, 78-20 overall this season and the only way that their fingerprints aren’t on the Larry O’Brien Trophy before long is for them to come completely apart.

Which isn’t likely. Possible, sure. Likely, no.

“The journey to this point has been great, but we still know being up 2-0 means nothing,” said Celtics guard Jrue Holiday, who led his team with 26 points in Game 2. “Job’s not done. We have to do whatever it takes.”

Doncic had the 50th known triple-double in NBA Finals history — 32 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists. He also had eight turnovers and went just 4 for 8 from the foul line, two reasons why he pointed the finger of blame directly at himself after the game.

“At the end of the day, we’ve got to make more shots,” Doncic said. “I think my turnovers and my missed free throws cost us the game. So, I’ve got to do way better in those categories. But at the end of the day, we’ve got to make shots to win the game.”

The Mavericks tied a season-low with six 3-pointers, but that wasn’t what they should lament most when they review how the game went from beyond the arc. They were 11-1 in these playoffs when holding teams below 38% on 3s; make it 11-2 now, since the Celtics shot 25.6% in Game 2 and won. The Celtics aren’t likely to struggle that much from deep too often.

“Every game we lose, it’s a missed opportunity for us,” Doncic said.