National Basketball Association Set to Return after Suspension Due to Coronavirus Pandemic - Celtics rule over Finals opener, securing victory against Mavs.
In the first game of the NBA Finals, the favored Boston Celtics crushed the Dallas Mavericks with a score of 107:89. The Celtics maintained a lead of more than 15 points after the first quarter, reaching a high of 29 points against the team featuring Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and Maxi Kleber. The second match will be held in Boston on Monday night (2:00 am) with four wins needed to secure the title.
Luka Doncic emerged as the top scorer of the night with 30 points, but like his teammates, he struggled with three-pointers. The Mavericks managed to score only 25.9% of their long-range attempts. Doncic also only managed to elicit one assist. In a conversation with ABC, Celtics star Jayson Tatum said, "Someone like him will score - our task is to stop the others as effectively as possible." Tatum scored 16 points with 11 rebounds to clock in a double-double.
The game started evenly, with both teams scoring points, but in the last six minutes of the first quarter, the Celtics gradually increased their lead to 17 points. Kristaps Porzingis was spectacular in this stretch, draining long-range shots and blocking three attempts by the Mavericks within a short period. He ended the game with 20 points, making him the second-best scorer for the Celtics. Tatum had this to say about Porzingis, "It's great to have him back. I reaffirmed to myself today that I'm doing well." On his part, Porzingis added, "I'm happy to be back."
Kleber scored two points, one assist, and one block during his 19-minute debut game in the NBA Finals. This is the first Final series for the Mavericks since their title win with Dirk Nowitzki in 2011.
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