The Boston Celtics overwhelmed the Dallas Mavericks 107-89 in the first game of the 2023-2024 season NBA Finals on home court, moving one step closer to the team's first NBA title since 2008.

Kristaps Porzingis, recovering from a calf injury which had kept him out for over a month, came off the bench and scored 20 points with three blocks in 21 minutes.

The mavericks were leading 15-14 in the first half of the first quarter, only to see the Celtics responded with a 23-5 spurt to end the period 37-20. Porzingis made four baskets out of his five shooting attempts in the quarter, including a three pointer. The Latvian center also finished two blocks in this period.

"Tonight was an affirmation to myself that I'm pretty good," said Porzingis, who had played for the Mavericks between 2019 and 2022.

In the second quarter, the host team managed to widen the gap to as many as 29 points.

The Mavericks mounted a comeback in the third quarter, narrowing the gap to eight points, but the Celtics responded with a 14-0 run thanks to their sharp three-point shooting, rebuilding a 20-point advantage by the end of the quarter and leaving no suspense in the game.

Six Celtics players scored in double digits, with Jaylen Brown leading the team with 22 points and Jayson Tatum contributing 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The Celtics hit 16 three-pointers in the game, while the Mavericks only hit seven. Luca Doncic scored a game-high 30 points for the Mavericks, but Kyrie Irving missed all his five three-point attempts and scored only 12.

The two teams will face off again on Sunday on the same court. 

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