Watch: Celtics' Payton Pritchard beats the buzzer in Game 2

After the Dallas Mavericks cut a 13-point Celtics lead to six points late in the third quarter, the Mavericks had hope they could climb back into Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Dante Exum made a three-pointer, P.J. Washington and Kyrie Irving made a pair of free-throws, and Boston was only 5-of-29 from three-point range.

But then Pritchard fired in a 34-footer as the clock expired, on a shot that was actually contested. The fourth-year guard got as far up the court as he could in the 3.1 seconds remaining, and sunk a very deep triple.

Pritchard is making 40.8 percent of his threes in the postseason, but this might be the most difficult shot of the playoffs for him. Not to mention one of the most painful for the Mavericks. After clawing back to make it a two-possession game, the deflated Mavericks went into the break down by nine points.

In a game where neither team had any long-range accuracy, Pritchard's big shot gave Boston the extra leg up they needed in a slugfest of a Finals game.