Kristaps Porzingis' return sparks Celtics in NBA Finals opener
Kristaps Porzingis wasn't going to let a 37-day layoff slow him down during the biggest game of his NBA career.
Playing in the NBA Finals for the first time, the Celtics big man returned from a 10-game absence to record 20 points off the bench and Boston snuffed a second-half rally to beat the Dallas Mavericks 107-89 on Thursday night in Game 1.
Porzingis hadn't played since April 29 due to a right calf strain that he sustained during Game 4 of the Celtics' first-round series against the Miami Heat. He quickly found his groove again, though, making 8 of 13 field-goal attempts while collecting six rebounds and three blocks in 21 minutes.
"Even if I have time off, I can jump right back in and I feel the same way," Porzingis said. "I get to my spots ... so whether it's playoffs, regular season or whatever, I know how to do this. That's it, just having that confidence, going out there whatever, first round or Finals, just going out there with full confidence and giving what I have to the team."
Porzingis' early efforts helped the Celtics lead by as much as 29 points late in the first half, but Dallas got back into the game thanks to a third-quarter outburst headlined by Luka Doncic.
The star guard accounted for 10 points during the Mavericks' 22-9 surge to open the frame, with his 3-pointer cutting Dallas' deficit to 72-64 with 4:28 to go.
The Celtics responded emphatically, rattling off the next 14 points to take a 22-point lead.
Daniel Gafford closed the third with a pair of free throws to get Dallas within 20, but the Mavericks trailed by at least 17 for the entirety of the fourth.
Even though the Mavericks weren't able to recover completely, Dallas coach Jason Kidd was still able to take some positives out of the comeback bid.
"A lot of good things in that third and fourth that we can build on," said Kidd, whose team outscored Boston in both of those periods. "That's what we talked about after the game, and that's what we have to do.
"We came out and won the third. Had a great opportunity to cut into that lead. Unfortunately, they go on a run. Once we cut it to eight, but then you know we won the fourth. So there are two positive things that we can take from these four quarters."
