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Celtics overwhelm Mavericks with 107-89 victory in Game 1 of NBA Finals

© David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Celtics looked to make a statement and did exactly that in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, defeating the Dallas Mavericks 107-89, in pursuit of the franchise’s 18th championship.

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In his first game back from injury since Game 4 of the first round, Kristaps Porzingis brought energy right away for Boston, finishing with 20 points and three blocks. Jaylen Brown paced Boston on both ends, recording 22 points, six rebounds, three steals and three blocks. Porzingis and Brown were two of six Celtics to score in double-figures. Jayson Tatum started off his second NBA Finals appearance with Boston’s only double-double, notching 16 points and 11 rebounds.

As they have all season, the Celtics made it rain from 3, converting 16-of-42 (38.1%) their 3-point attempts. Boston shot 39-of-82 (47.6%) overall, compared to 35-of-84 (41.7%) for Dallas, who only made 7-of-27 (25.9%) of its shots from deep.

The most telling stats for the Mavericks were this 3-point total comparison and them having only nine assists to 11 turnovers. Individually, Luka Doncic had a terrific start to his Finals career, totaling 30 points on 12-of-26 (46.2%) shooting and 10 rebounds, but only had one assist. Kyrie Irving only had 12 points on 6-of-19 (31.6%) shooting, three rebounds and two assists. This loss snapped a five-game road winning streak for Dallas.

Game 1 winners go on to win The Finals 70% of the time.

Game Flow

The Celtics elected to bring Porzingis off the bench in his return, and it worked out well for them. Al Horford had a quick five points starting in his place, while Porzingis scored 11 in his seven minutes in the quarter along with two blocks. Boston closed the first on a 23-5 run to build up a commanding 37-20 lead in the quarter. The Celtics shot 56.5% from the floor and 46.7% from 3 compared to 37.5% for the Mavericks and 24.5% from deep.

The Celtics kept their foot on the gas in the second quarter, highlighted by this poster dunk by Brown.

Boston was up by as much as 29 on its way to a 63-42 halftime lead. Porzingis led the way with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, while Brown followed with 13 points and every starter had at least five. Doncic played his kind of game, totaling 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting, but the Mavs only had five assists as a team and no one else had more than six points. Boston ended the half 11-of-27 (40.7%) from 3, while Dallas only shot 3-of-13 (23.1%) from beyond the arc.

The Mavericks, led by Doncic looked like a completely different team to begin the second half. They cut the Boston lead to as little as eight, outscoring them 29-9 between the end of the first half and to start the third. However, Boston responded with a 14-0 run and took an 86-66 lead to the fourth. The Celtics only ended up losing the quarter 24-23 despite their poor start. Brown did it all on both sides of the ball to spearhead this strong close to the quarter.

There would be no big comeback in the fourth quarter for Dallas, as Boston maintained control of the game for the rest of the night. Dallas subbed out their starters with just under five minutes remaining and the Celtics leading 100-75.

Next Up

Game 2 between these two teams is on Sunday (June 9) at 5:00 p.m. MST in Boston.

Suns fans resurface old Anthony Edwards video as Mavericks advance to NBA Finals

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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau

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