Towering Porzingis performance sparks Celtics

BOSTON — Kristaps Porzingis didn't want to make predictions about how his body would respond heading into the NBA Finals, after he spent more than a month on the sideline with a calf injury.

Just fine, it turned out.

Jaylen Brown scored 22 points and Porzingis made an immediate impact off the bench, adding 20 as the Boston Celtics powered past the Dallas Mavericks 107-89 for a Game 1 win on Thursday night.

Derrick White finished with 15 points for Boston, which led by 29 points in the first half and connected on 16 3-pointers in a powerful start to its quest for an 18th NBA title.

Porzingis, a 7-footer who had been sidelined since April 29, added six rebounds and three blocks in 21 minutes.

"Tonight was affirmation to myself that I'm pretty good," Porzingis said. "I'm not perfect, but I can play like this and I can add to this team."

The last Celtics player to enter the court for pregame warm-ups, he said he received a jolt of energy from a home crowd, which erupted when he emerged from the tunnel.

"The adrenaline was pumping through my veins," Porzingis said.

"That's the KP that helped us get to where we are today," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. "It doesn't matter how long the guy is off, he's going to make plays."

All-Star Jayson Tatum finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Six players scored in double figures for the Celtics, who host Game 2 on Sunday.

Dallas cut the deficit to eight points in the third quarter, but Boston answered with a 14-0 run to quickly pull away again.

Luka Doncic led Dallas with 30 points. PJ Washington added 14 points and eight rebounds, but Dallas couldn't find offensive consistency beyond that, totaling just nine assists on its 35 field goals. The Mavericks didn't score 25 points in any quarter.

Doncic said the lopsided loss wouldn't diminish the spirit of a team that lost the opening game in three of its four series this postseason.

"Either you lose or you win," Doncic said. "First to four, we've got to focus on the next game."

Former Celtic Kyrie Irving struggled throughout, finishing with 12 points. He received a loud and extended chorus of boos when he was introduced before the game. It continued throughout the game whenever he touched the ball.

The animosity is the result of Irving sparring with Boston fans during a 2022 playoff visit to TD Garden, after which he was fined for using an obscene gesture.

The Celtics, seeking their first championship since 2008, showed little rust from their 10-day layoff after sweeping the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals.

They flowed with energy throughout, sharing the ball in the halfcourt, and getting it to the shooters for open 3s. They also attacked the interior of the Dallas defense and got to the rim for several dunks.

Meanwhile, apart from Doncic, who shot 12 of 26 from the field, Dallas found itself struggling to get into its sets early on, and couldn't find a consistent groove offensively.

The Mavericks led by one midway through the first quarter. The Celtics responded by outscoring them 44-16 to make it 58-29 in the second.

Things changed over the next 12 minutes, when Dallas used a 35-14 run, including 15 points by Doncic, to cut Boston's lead to 72-64, but the Celtics were back up 86-66 entering the fourth.

Dallas had just five assists through the first three quarters, the fewest of any NBA team, in any game, through 36 minutes in the last three seasons.

Porzingis ended his 10-game hiatus when he came off the bench with 7:17 left in the first quarter in place of starter Al Horford. With the exception of a white compression sleeve on his right leg, it was hard to tell Porzingis was coming off an injury.

Agencies via Xinhua