Jaylen Brown scored 22 points, Kristaps Porziis scored 20 in his first game in more than a month and the Boston Celtics took first place in the NBA Finals on Thursday night Defeated the Dallas Mavericks 107-89.
Derrick White scored 15 points for Boston, which led by 29 points in the first half, and hit 16 3-pointers to get Boston off to a good start in its quest for an 18th NBA championship.
Porzincitis, who has been sidelined since April 29 with a strained right calf, showed an immediate spark after coming off the bench, adding six rebounds and three blocks in 21 minutes. Six Celtics scored in double figures.
Dallas narrowed the deficit to 8 points in the third quarter, but Boston quickly pulled away.
Luka Doncic scored 30 points for Dallas. PJ Washington scored 14 points and 8 rebounds. But beyond that, Dallas couldn’t find consistency on offense, totaling just nine assists on 35 shots in the game.
Former Celtics Kyrie Irving struggled throughout the game and finished with 12 points. When he was introduced before the game on Thursday, he was met with loud, prolonged boos. This continued throughout the game every time he touched the ball.
Previously, Irving got into an altercation with Boston fans during a 2022 playoff visit to TD Garden and was fined for using an obscene gesture.
The Celtics are seeking their first championship since 2008 and showed no signs of rust during their 10-day layoff after sweeping the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
They were dynamic from start to finish, sharing the ball in the half court and getting it to shooters for open threes. They also attacked the interior of the Dallas defense and broke through the rim for multiple dunks.
At the same time, except for Doncic who made 12 of 26 shots, Dallas struggled to get into the game early in the game and could not find a stable state on the offensive end.
The Mavericks led by one point midway through the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Celtics chased the score 44-16 to 58-29.
Things changed over the next 12 minutes as Dallas went on a 35-14 offensive run, in which Doncic scored 15 points, cutting Boston’s lead to 72-64. But Boston ended the third quarter with a 14-2 spurt and reentered the fourth quarter with an 86-66 lead.
Dallas had just five assists in the first three quarters, the fewest assists of any NBA team in 36 minutes over the past three seasons.
Porzingis came off the bench with 7:17 left in the first quarter, replacing starter Al Horford, ending his 10-game absence. Aside from a white compression sleeve on his right leg, it’s hard to tell Porziis is recovering from his injury.
He quickly got into the mix, making two free throws after being fouled by Doncic. After taking possession, the Latvian hit his first shot on a short jumper from Doncic.
He’s not done yet.
A few minutes later, he drove past Derrick Lively in the paint for a two-handed dunk. On Dallas’ next possession, Porzincitis blocked Jaden Hardy’s layup attempt. The Celtics pushed the ball downfield and passed it back to their big man, who calmly buried a 16-footer.
It was part of Boston’s 17-5 run in the final 5 minutes and 24 seconds of the quarter, with Porziis finishing with 11 points, 2 blocks and 3 rebounds on 4-of-5 shooting. Boston led 37-20 entering the second quarter.
Porzinis scored 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field in the half.
