BOSTON – The return of Kristaps Porzingis was an unqualified success for the Boston Celtics and a giant dose of misery for the Mavericks.
After missing two playoff series with a calf injury, the 7-3 Porzingis came back with a vengeance, completely swinging Game 1 of the NBA Finals in Boston’s favor with his work in the first half.
The former Maverick had started all but one of his 473 previous NBA regular-season and playoff games. On Thursday, he came off the bench and was the catalyst for Boston’s 107-89 stampede.
When Porzingis entered the game with 7:17 left in the first quarter, the game had yet to have any momentum swings.