In game one of the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks 107-89 thanks in large part to a masterful performance by Jaylen Brown. The 27-year-old led the team in scoring with 22 points, while five other players scored in double figures as the Celtics look to earn a record 18 titles. However, the Boston Celtics’ defensive performance was equally impressive, as it led to a 29-point advantage in the first half at the TD Garden in Massachusetts.
In the third quarter, Mavericks star Luka Doncic scored 30 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to help his team cut the lead to eight points, but in the fourth quarter, the home team pulled away once more. “When they cut it to eight, that’s when the game started,” Brown stated. I was pleased with our team’s response. We maintained our composure. We made some plays and were able to stretch the advantage back out offensively once we found our spacing.”
After missing ten games due to a calf injury sustained during the playoffs, Kristaps Porzingis returned to the court for the Celtics. While facing his old team, the Latvian scored 20 points, 11 of which came off rebounds.
Despite the Mavericks’ dismal showing in the third quarter, the Texans will be hoping for some optimism from their play. “I think in those moments we were playing our basketball,” Doncic stated. “People were stopping us. We prevented them from grabbing offensive rebounds. In those moments, we were enjoying ourselves, and we need to do that more often.” On Sunday, Boston will host game two of the best-of-seven series. They hope to avoid the Los Angeles Lakers, who have also won 17 NBA Championships. It should be noted that the team that prevailed in game one has won 70% of NBA Finals.
