Celtics Overwhelm Mavericks in Game 1

Strong defense and balanced scoring lead to Celtics victory

The Boston Celtics cruised to a 107-89 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night. The Celtics took a commanding 29-point lead in the first quarter and never looked back.

Defensive dominance

The Celtics' defense was dominant in the first half, holding the Mavericks to just 35 points. Boston's defensive intensity forced Dallas into 10 turnovers, which led to several easy baskets for the Celtics.

"Our defense was really good tonight," Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. "We made it tough for them to get into their offense and we forced them into some turnovers."

Balanced scoring

The Celtics had six players score in double figures, led by Jayson Tatum's 29 points. Jaylen Brown added 24 points, Marcus Smart had 18 points, and Al Horford had 16 points.

"We have a lot of guys who can score," Tatum said. "We're not just a one-man team. We can beat you in a lot of different ways."

Looking ahead

The Celtics now have a 1-0 lead in the series. Game 2 will be played on Sunday night in San Francisco.

"We're not going to get ahead of ourselves," Udoka said. "We know the Mavericks are a tough team and they're going to come back hard in Game 2. We need to be ready to play our best."