First-quarter dominance has often been reserved for Jaylen Brown this season. However, in recent games, the Boston Celtics have turned toward Kristaps Porzingis in the opening stages of games. Joe Mazzulla went back to the versatile big man against the Miami Heat as the Boston Celtics looked to punish the lack of size available to Erik Spoelstra.
It’s no coincidence that the first quarter was Porzingis' best scoring stretch. 11 of his 25 points came during that opening stretch. From there, Miami had to respect his presence on the floor, regardless of where he was situated on a play-to-play basis.