The Celtics delivered a dominating performance Thursday night in a 107-89 game one victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
And while the Mavericks were cold much of the first half, one critical component to the Celtics’ success was the return of Kristaps Porzingis.
Porzingis entered the game, coming off the bench, and his impact was immediate and undeniable. He scored 11 points, grabbed three rebounds, and blocked two shots, helping the Celtics close the quarter on a 25-9 run. They never lost the lead after that.
Remarkably in just 21 minutes, he tallied 20 points, six rebounds, and three blocks, becoming only the second player in the last 50 years to achieve such stats in an NBA Finals game. The other Celtics who accomplished similar feats were Bill Sharman (1959), Larry Siegfried (1966), and Leon Powe (2008).
Porzingis also became the ninth player since 1976-77 to score over 18 points in his first half of an NBA Finals debut. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla confirmed before the game that Porzingis wasn’t under any minutes restriction, aiming to let him find his rhythm.
The Mavericks struggled to adapt to Porzingis’ versatile play, including his long-range shooting and defensive prowess. After the game, Derrick White highlighted how Porzingis’ presence transforms the Celtics on both ends of the court.
“He’s a matchup nightmare,” White said [1] of his teammate. “Even when you play good defense, he doesn’t really see you. It’s been unreal just watching him all year. Then defensively, he uses his size well, just impacts the games in so many different ways. He changes us, and he makes us a better team.”