MANILA, Philippines – The Boston Celtics drew first blood in the NBA Finals after demolishing the Dallas Mavericks, 107-89, Friday morning (Manila time) at the TD Garden in Boston.
Six Boston players finished in double digits, led by Jaylen Brown with 22 points, six rebounds, three steals, three blocks and two assists. The comebacking Kristaps Porzingis had 20 points and six rebounds off the bench.
The Celtics led by as much as 29 points, 58-29, as early as the first half as their hot offense just came unmatched.
Come the second half, though, the Mavericks charged back, cutting the lead to just eight, 64-72, after a Luka Doncic 3-pointer met the mark.
Boston, however, came back to their senses and ended the quarter with a 14-2 run to regain the 20 point advantage.
The Celtics did not squander the huge lead this time around, breezing through to the final buzzer.
Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Al Horford also came up big on the offensive end for Boston with 16, 15, 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Doncic spearheaded Dallas with 30 points and 10 rebounds. His usual running-mate, Kyrie Irving, was held to just 12 points on 6-of-19 shooting.
PJ Washington seconded Doncic’s offensive output with 14 markers and eight boards.
The Celtics, who last won the championship in 2008, will try to go up 2-0 on Monday (Manila time) still in Boston.