The Boston Celtics made their presence felt early in the NBA Finals thanks to a big return from Kristaps Porzinis.
The Boston Celtics blew a nearly 29-point lead at the half to defeat the Dallas Mavericks 107-89 on Thursday night at TD Garden in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Celtics have now won eight straight games and have won each of their first games in the playoffs this season.
Meanwhile, Luka Doncic and the Mavericks are playing as underdogs in their first NBA Finals appearance since Dirk Nowitzki led the franchise in 2011. The Mavericks had won five straight games before Thursday night.
Kristaps Porzinis He helped the Celtics on a strong run.
Porzingis first suffered a calf injury in the season opener against the Miami Heat and has missed Boston’s past 10 games.
But after being benched for just the second time in his career, Porzingis quickly made up for lost time. He scored eight points early in the first quarter, including a big dunk over Derek Lively II and a shot into Josh Green’s face, giving the Celtics a double-digit lead and forcing a Mavericks timeout early in the first period.
Then, coming out of a timeout, he hit a three-pointer from deep and immediately got a block on the other side to set up another three-pointer for the Celtics, giving the Celtics a 17-point lead after a 23-5 run, the largest lead after the first quarter of a Game 1 game in NBA Finals history.
Porzingis and the Celtics kept their momentum going in the second quarter, taking a comfortable 21-point lead into the locker room at the intermission. They led 21-11 at the start of the second quarter and at one point led by 29 points, making 11 3-pointers in the first 24 minutes. Porzingis had 18 points in the first half, shooting 7-of-9 from the field, while the Mavericks made just 3-of-13 3-pointers.
Celtics thwart Mavericks onslaught
Despite falling behind early, Dallas began chipping away at Boston’s lead in the third quarter before a couple of big shots from Kyrie Irving and a crucial 3-pointer from Doncic sparked a 20-6 run that put them within eight.
But Dallas would never get any closer. Boston rallied right after a timeout, ending the period on a 14-2 run that put the Celtics back up by 20 points, more than enough to ultimately win by 18 points.
Porzingis finished with 20 points and six rebounds in 21 minutes. Jaylen Brown led the team with 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, while Jayson Tatum had 16 points, 11 rebounds and five assists despite six turnovers. The Celtics also set an NBA Finals record by having seven players make multiple three-pointers.
Doncic led the Mavericks with 30 points and 10 rebounds. They made just 4 of 12 3-pointers, with all but three of Dallas’ 3-pointers coming from Doncic. P.J. Washington had 14 points and eight rebounds, and Irving had 12 points. The Mavericks’ 89 points were their lowest total this postseason, and they also had just nine assists as a team. By comparison, the Celtics had 23 assists and nine blocks.
It’s still early, but Doncic and Irving are more than capable of leading the Mavericks to victory. The Celtics look like a team ready to compete for the 18th championship in franchise history. Game 2 on Sunday isn’t a must-win for Dallas, but the Mavericks need to at least keep the series close before heading to Texas or things could get out of hand quickly.
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Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday night
The teams meet again on Sunday night in Boston, with the Celtics looking to take a 2-0 lead over the Mavericks.
This is by no means a must-win game for Dallas, but a second big win at this point could mean a quick series this summer.
Final score: Celtics 107, Mavericks 89
After a brief close game in the second half, the Celtics hold a 1-0 lead over the Mavericks. Jaylen Brown led Boston with 22 points and Kristaps Porzingis scored 20 in his return.
Luka Doncic was the Mavericks’ leading scorer with 30 points and 10 rebounds.
Celtics set record, share profits from 3-point line
The Celtics won all night.
Other than a brief surge early in the third quarter, the Celtics were in complete control from the opening quarter, with eight players playing and six of them scoring in double figures with 4:57 left in the game.
As a team, Boston is shooting 48% from the field and 39% from three-point range. They’ve worked hard as a team on the offensive end, holding Kyrie Irving to just 12 points.
The Celtics still shoot 3-pointers.
Outside of Luka, the Mavericks are just 1-of-11 from long range, and Doncic has missed his last four long-range attempts. As a team, they’re just 5-of-23 from 3-point range. The Celtics are 15-of-40 from 3-point range, which is almost as many as the Mavericks missed with eight minutes left (18).
Bad sign for Dallas
They’re coming off a 14-0 record. Dallas is struggling to get any offense going with Luka on the bench and Kyrie can’t seem to find any openings in the paint or connect on the ball from deep. Dallas’ two big-name guards combined for three assists each.
Kyrie Irving is struggling
Kyrie Irving was ineffective as the Celtics pushed their lead to more than 20 points. He was surprised by Porzingis on one drive, traveled on a step-back and finished just 6 of 19 after three quarters, was 0-5 on 3-pointers and had three turnovers.
Celtics step up defense
Boston’s defense thwarted the 11-0 run and pushed the lead back to 19. Jaylen Brown made a big block. Jrue Holiday switched on Doncic in the final minute of the third quarter before this latest break.
Jaylen Brown Block Party
The Celtics star delivered some highlight plays on the defensive end of the court in Game 1.
Luke needs help
Non-Luka 3-pointers: 1 for 10. This is not an optimal performance for the Mavs, especially with the Celtics not shying away from 3-pointers.
Celtics take back control
After Luka Doncic’s long-distance 3-pointer cut Boston’s 29-point lead to 72-64 midway through the third quarter, Boston rallied with an 8-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Jayson Tatum, helped by a minor foul by Derek Lively II. Tatum went 8-5-13, and the Celtics looked to finish the third quarter better than the previous one.
Mavs cut lead to single digits
Oh well well… the game isn’t over yet. Luka Doncic’s three-pointer with 4:39 left in the third quarter cut the Celtics’ lead to just eight points, 72-64. Doncic led the Mavs back with 27 points for the game, 10 in the third quarter. Dallas has struggled to move the ball offensively, but Doncic is carrying the team with just 5 assists for 27 and Kyrie Irving finishing with 12 points on 6-of-16 field goals.
The Mavs liven up the game
The crowd went quiet and the anxiety set in after Luka Doncic drained a 3-pointer, and Dallas pulled within eight points with eight minutes to play, with the Mavericks’ All-NBA superstar scoring 10 points.
Dallas showed signs of life early in the second half.
Trailing by as many as 29 points at the half, the Mavericks started the second half with purpose, trimming a 21-point halftime deficit to 16 with 7:42 left in the third quarter. Two Kyrie Irving baskets and a pair of Celtics turnovers helped the Mavericks stabilize, but they’ll need to storm back into the fourth quarter to get back in the game.
Luke is leaving
Luka got more spring in his step and more aggressive in the final minutes of the first half, taking shots himself and scoring 17 points. Can the momentum continue? This is a team that overcame an 18-point deficit in the third quarter in Game 6 against Oklahoma City…
Kristaps Porzingis led the team with 18 points off the bench.
How’s that coming back from injury? He finished with 18 points on 7-of-9 field goal attempts (including two 3-pointers) to go along with two blocks and three rebounds. Not bad for a player coming back from more than a month out with a torn calf.
3 points difference
The Celtics are a 3-point shooting team, but their 24-point lead from long range (10-for-24 vs. 2-for-12 for Dallas) accounts for the majority of Boston’s 27-point lead so far.
Jaylen Brown steps up
Daniel Gafford, welcome to Kodak Moments.
Boston is doing well
The Celtics are dominating the Mavs. Luka can’t get the ball up the court. They’re going to lose by a large margin. Turnovers are piling up and Boston is up by 29 points.
Porzingis is doing too much right now
Porzingis is the one guy Dallas can’t gameplan for. His size is too big for the Mavs’ wings and his length at the rim hampers Kyrie and Luka. Porzingis had 15 points, three rebounds and two blocks off the bench at the 6:29 mark of the second quarter.
