The long-awaited 2024 NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics began on Thursday. Luka Doncic and Co. opened the series on the road, something they have done throughout the playoffs. After roughly a week of rest, they were ready to try and steal home-court advantage.
The Celtics, however, refused to cooperate and led most of the way. Dallas cut the lead to eight points in the third quarter but the hosts wouldn't be denied. Boston drew first blood by limiting Dallas to less than 90 points, their lowest since they lost, 121-87 to the LA Clippers in late January. The C's took Game 1, 107-89 in the end.
Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics player stats and box scores
Dallas Mavericks player stats and box scores
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Boston Celtics player stats and box scores
Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics Game Summary
The first quarter of Game 1 between the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics started quite close. It felt like a feeling-out process inside the opening six minutes of the series. Things quickly changed once Kristaps Porzingis came off the bench for Boston.
The former Mavs center, who hasn't played in roughly four weeks, scored 11 points to push the East champs to a 37-20 lead. He eventually finished with 18 first-half points, a big reason why the Celtics carried a 63-42 halftime advantage.
Boston's lead would have been much bigger had Luka Doncic not dropped a 7-0 run to end the second quarter. "Luka Legend" had 17 points in the first two quarters to prevent the Celtics from running the Mavs out of the building.
The Dallas Mavericks, after an embarrassing first half, came storming back in the third quarter against the Boston Celtics. Luka Doncic's 27-foot triple cut Boston's lead to 72-64, forcing Joe Mazzulla to burn another timeout. Fans inside TD Garden were restless, considering how the visitors were known to bounce back from massive deficits in the playoffs.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics' big-time response with his impressive play on both sides of the court. Boston's crippling 14-0 run after Mazzulla called a timeout gave the Cs all the momentum going into the fourth frame.
The fourth quarter was mainly both teams exchanging baskets, a battle the Boston Celtics were all too willing to engage in. Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd raised the white flag with 5:17 to go when he pulled out Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Kristaps Porzingis, who hadn't played in 38 games, gave the Celtics the spark they needed to start Game 1. They closed it out with contributions from across the roster with Brown leading the way.
Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown's 3-pointers tonight
Kyrie Irving, who received boos almost every time he touched the ball, missed all of his attempts from deep. Luka Doncic hit 4-of-12 shots from the same distance.
Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had solid nights from behind 22 feet. They combined to make 5-of-13 attempts from long range.
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