NBA: Balanced Celtics roll past Mavs in NBA Finals opener

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Jaylen Brown led six players in double figures with 22 points and Kristaps Porziņģis had 20 in his first game in over a month as the Boston Celtics pulled away for a 107-89 win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday (June 6) night.

Jayson Tatum had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Derick White scored 15 for the Celtics, who improved to 13-2 in the playoffs with their eighth straight win as they seek their 18th NBA title. Game 2 is Sunday (June 9) night in Boston.

Porzingis came off the bench and provided an immediate spark in his first game since April 29 due to a strained right calf. He had six rebounds and three blocks in 21 minutes.

Luka Doncic had 30 points and 10 rebounds, but former Celtic Kyrie Irving managed just 12 points on 6-of-19 shooting and missed all five of his 3-point attempts. Dallas totalled just nine assists on 35 field goals and its scoring total was its lowest of the postseason.

Boston started fast and led by 29 in the first half before Dallas opened the third quarter on a 22-9 run to pull within 72-64 on Doncic’s 3-pointer. The Celtics responded with the next 14 points, capped by 3s from Tatum, Al Horford and Brown for an 86-64 advantage.