Redemption was heavy on the Celtics’ minds to open up the NBA Finals.
Led by a seamless 20-point performance from centre Kristaps Porzingis, Boston demolished the Dallas Mavericks 107-89 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday to open their quest for an 18th banner.
The Celtics big man made his return to the lineup for the first time in over a month after he suffered a calf injury in Game 4 of the first-round series against the Miami Heat. But he didn’t show any signs of rust, electrifying the TD Garden crowd with 18 first-half points.
Jaylen Brown followed up that performance with 22 points of his own while Jayson Tatum had a relatively quiet night, scoring 16, but led the Celtics in rebounding with 11.
Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic led the way for his squad, scoring a game-high 30 points, but finished with only one assist — a season-low for him — as the rest of the squad weren’t able to hit their shots.
Kyrie Irving finished with an inefficient 12 points on 6-for-19 from the field. P.J. Washington scored 14 and grabbed eight rebounds
Head coach Jason Kidd subbed Doncic and Irving out just after the five-minute mark in the fourth, effectively conceding Game 1.
Defensively, the Celtics showed why they’ve been the best team on that end in the regular season and playoffs. They racked up nine blocks on the night, led by three from both Brown and Porzingis.
The Celtics built up a massive first-half lead, heading back to the locker room up 21 after knocking down 43 per cent (12-for-28) of their 3-pointers compared to a rough 21 per cent for the Mavs (3-for-14).
Dallas roared back in the third quarter, cutting it to an eight-point deficit with 4:30 left in the third quarter, but the Celtics quickly shut that down by scoring 14 straight and bringing their lead back to 22.
They would hold on from there, never letting the Mavericks back into the fight to close out the Game 1 win.
