Big man Kristaps Porzingis of the Boston Celtics returned to action on Thursday night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks without missing a beat. The former All-Star is playing his first game in over a month. He immediately established his two-way presence with a spectacular first-quarter sequence. Boston Celtics Defeated Dallas Mavericks 107-89 in Game 1.
With 1:09 left in the first with the Celtics ahead 31–20, Porzingis drained a long 29-foot transition 3-pointer to increase the advantage to 14 points (34–20). Energized, the large guy returned to defense, stopping Kyrie Irving, the standout guard for the Mavericks, from making a midrange baseline jumper.
After capturing the ball, Kristaps Porzingis passed it to colleague Jrue Holiday, who advanced it across the floor to where sharpshooter Sam Hauser was positioned in the corner. With 50.8 seconds remaining, Hauser made a corner 3-pointer to increase Boston’s advantage to 17 points (37-20).
Hauser’s basket completed a rapid six-point run that Porzingis’ driven play had initiated. Porzingis’ first since April 29th was the game. He has been out since suffering a calf injury in Game 4 of Boston’s five-game victory against the Miami Heat in the Round 1 series. But the Celtics gradually increased his rehabilitation to get the 28-year-old back for the playoffs.
Kristaps Porzingis Reflects on His First Game After 2 Weeks
Kristaps Porzingis played in his first playoff game after Round 1 on Thursday night, making history as the first player to suit up in the finals.
With a torn ACL, Porzingis missed the 2018–19 season and the playoffs six times in the last nine years. His lone playoff experience was with Dallas in the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons, as they were eliminated in the first round consecutively.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NBA stories via Google! Follow Us
Kristaps Porzingis said during the post-match interview: “It’s incredible. Just the energy, like, everybody’s buzzing. It’s going to be exciting. It’s going to be — even just seeing the amount of people now. It shows the magnitude of this and what’s on the line.”
The 7-foot-2 big man talked about how excited he is to play in his first finals against his old team before Thursday’s Game 1 matchup. He also mentioned how confident Boston was going into the series.
