The Dallas Mavericks were defeated 107-89 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals by the Boston Celtics on Thursday night. Boston came out ready to play, and Kristaps Porzingis looked extra motivated after previously missing time with an injury. Porzingis finished the contest with 20 points and six rebounds. Mavs star Luka Doncic addressed Porzingis' effort after the game, via Grant Afseth of Sports Illustrated.
“Yeah, he was great for them,” Doncic said of Porzingis. “He was knocking down shots. He was blocking shots. So he was really, really huge for them on both ends of the floor.”
Porzingis went 8-13 from the field and 2-4 from beyond the arc en route to his 20 points. Porzingis scored 11 of his points in the first quarter. His effort was crucial in helping the Celtics take an early lead. Although the Mavs attempted to climb back later in the game, the Celtics held strong.
“From the walkout before the game and then getting on the court, getting that kinda support was unreal,” Porzingis said of the support he received from the fans, via Daniel Donabedian of ClutchPoints. “The adrenaline was pumping through my veins and that definitely helped. It wasn't ideal that I was out for such a long time but I did everything I could to prepare mentally for this moment coming back. And it paid off. We got the job done tonight. Had a good game and happy about the result.”
Mavericks need to find answer for Kristaps Porzingis
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are the Celtics best players. Tatum is an MVP candidate and Brown is one of the most underrated superstars in the NBA.
However, Kristaps Porzingis is capable of taking over a game. He features that kind of ceiling. If this game would have been more competitive, he may have ended up with 30 or more points. He only played a little more than 20 minutes in Game 1 and still managed to score 20 points.
The Mavs need to find an answer for the Celtics big man.
Porzingis causes issues for opposing defenses. His versatility forces his defender to close out on him on the perimeter. The Mavs would obviously prefer for Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II to not have to defend on the perimeter, however.
When either player is matched up on Porzingis, though, they have to follow him around the floor. Of course, other Mavericks are capable of guarding Porzingis. Regardless of who his defender is, Porzingis causes matchup concerns for opponents as a result of his size and skillset.
Finding an answer for Porzingis while still trying to focus on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, not to mention Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, is going to be a challenge. The Mavericks will look to find the solution before Game 2 on Sunday.
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