Boston Celtics delivered the first blow in the NBA Finals, winning the opening game of the series against Dallas Mavericks 107-89, last night at TD Garden. Jaylen Brown was the Celtics’ top scorer with 22 points in 37 minutes on the court, but Kristaps Porzingis was the difference maker, as he came off the bench to drop 20 points in 20 minutes on 8/13 shooting. Boston’s star player Jayson Tatum was limited to 16 points, but six players on the Celtics roster finished with double-digits in points.
Game 1 goes to Boston…
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Game 2 tips Sunday at 8:00pm/et on ABC! pic.twitter.com/5JTYeDETzu
— NBA (@NBA) June 7, 2024
Dallas was led by Luka Doncic, with the Slovenian becoming the first player since Tim Duncan to register 30 points and 10 rebounds in his first-ever finals appearance. Kyrie Irving was below his usual best in his return to Boston, where he spent a couple of years earlier in his career, shooting 6/19 from the floor and 0/5 from deep, ending with 12 points. The Celtics totally dominated in defense, finishing with nine blocks compared to the Mavericks’ one. Boston also had an advantage when shooting from long range, hitting 16 of 42 attempts, while Dallas was 7 of 27.
The NBA Finals will remain in Boston for Game 2 of the series, scheduled for Sunday night.