New York: Kristaps Porzingis impressed in his return from injury and the Boston Celtics dominated on both ends of the floor to beat the Dallas Mavericks 107-89 in game one of the NBA Finals on Thursday.
Porzingis, who sprained his right calf in the first round of the playoffs and missed 10 games, made an immediate impact behind him as the Celtics scored 29 points in the first half, then broke the Mavericks’ surge in the third quarter. Won the best-of-seven championship series in front of a raucous home crowd.
Porzingis came off the bench against his former team and scored 11 points with three rebounds and a pair of big blocks as Boston led 37-20 late in the first quarter.
After eight lead changes in just over six minutes, the Celtics began to pull away thanks to seven three-pointers in the first quarter alone, and the Mavs struggled to get their offense going.
Boston finished with 16 three-pointers in 42 attempts. Jaylen Brown scored 22 points to lead six Celtics in double figures.
Porzingis had 20 points and Jayson Tatum had 16 points with 11 rebounds and 5 assists.
Despite their struggles, the Mavs managed to cut the deficit to eight points in the third quarter, only for the Celtics to pull back.
“It’s a running game,” Tatum said.
Playing with a right knee injury and left ankle pain, Doncic struggled to find a shot. It picked up steam in the second quarter, but Dallas could not find a way to slow down the Celtics, who built a 29-point 58-29 lead on Tatum’s three-pointer with 4:11 left in the first half. .
That led to a 14-4 victory that included a steal and a driving layup from Brown.
Celtic’s early TD was a surprise for the crowd, including Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and many sports celebrities.
Actor Mark Wahlberg and his brother Donnie both attended the night to honor Celtics great Bill Walton, who died in May at the age of 71 after battling cancer.
When the Celtics were cold from three points and Dallas was hot, Dallas made a push to start the third.
Doncic drilled a layup to cut the deficit to 72-64 with 4:28 left in the period.
Boston answered that question with a 14-0 victory by Porzingis and Derrick Jones Jr.
Boston will look to double its lead in two games on Sunday.
